Two Halves of a Whole
by OneShaman1
Summary: Thousand years after the first Exalt defeated Grima, the Fell Dragon once more endangers the World. A young amnesiac tactician from another world is the only hope to defeat the Dragon and save the world, her bloodline the only solution in the conflict between Dragon and Men. Fire Emblem: Awakening retold. Slight Crossover with Fire Emblem Fates.
1. Prologue

**Summary:** Thousand years after the first Exalt defeated Grima, the Fell Dragon once more endangers the World. A young tactician from another world is the only hope to defeat the Dragon and save the world. Fire Emblem: Awakening retold revolving around the young tactician Vivianne.

 **Author's Note:** My Unit (The Avatar/Robin) is called Vivianne in this story.

Her appearance:

Build: 01

Face: 04

Hair: 03

Hair Color: 13

Voice: 03

It's also a slight crossover with Fire Emblem Fates. And of course the game does not belong to me. Enjoy reading!

 **Prologue**

During a war raging in one of the Outrealms, with two countries being involved, a young girl was sitting in a small room which was only dimly lit by a candlestick on the table. The bookcases were missing a few books, most of them lying on the ground around the girl and a few of them on the table. The moon shone into the chamber through the only window in the room, though it was partly hidden by the clouds.

The girl frowned and turned around, placing the open book on the table and leaned forwards to grasp the candlestick and pulled it closer to be able to read the text properly.

She was no older than six, her light azure blue hair was tied up to a pony tail with a black lacy ribbon and bangs fell in her face. She wore a black lacy dress with a blue bow on the back and patent shoes. Her big brown eyes skimmed across the sentences of the book with great interest.

"Vivianne, are you in here?" The door opened with a squeak and a gentle-looking woman looked into the room, but the little girl – Vivianne – did not react as she was absorbed in her book. The woman's ruby eyes with unusual slit pupils glanced around the room until she found the girl and smiled, displaying fangs. She had the same hair color as Vivianne, only that her hair was longer and two streaks were braided from her ears to the back of her head and she had neat bangs. Just like her eyes, her ears were also unusual, as they were pointed. The woman was wearing the black armor of a noble, only that she was barefoot.

"Vivianne." She called out again but the girl still doesn't responded so she repeated the girl's name, only more stern. "Vivianne!"

"Kyah!" Vivianne winced in surprise, almost knocking the candlestick over, and turned around so her eyes met with the ones of the woman. "Oh, Mother. You almost made my heart stop beating!"

"That's because you were so absorbed in your book, you didn't even notice me." Vivianne's mother, Kaguya, answered and approached her. "You went into this room very early and yet you're still here. You're truly dedicated."

"Of course. I want to be a great tactician and help you." Vivianne smiled faintly when looking up to Kaguya who had a proud expression on her face and patted her daughter's head.

"Hehe, that's a great dream you have there, princess." She snickered. "Now that I know you're here, I have to search for your brother. He always runs off somewhere on his own. Do you know where he went?"

"Sieg? Well, he came in here a few hours ago, asking where Father is. Maybe you'll find him if you look for Father." Vivianne proposed, her eyes lingering on the books, and Kaguya sighed in return.

"I see... heh, I should have expected that. I'm going to search for your Father, but when I return here I do not wish to see you in front of the books. It's still some time until bedtime so go play with your friends."

"Yes, Mother." Vivianne pouted, an expression which made her look even more similar to her father, causing her mother to smile.

"There's no reason to sulk, Pouty. Just don't forget to go out for a bit, your brother does it as well, even though he learns as much as you." Kaguya's hand stayed on her daughter's face and she leaned in to kiss Vivianne's forehead. The young princess blushed in response and raised her hand, rubbing the spot with the back of her hand in embarrassment. Kaguya only giggled in response and stroked affectionately over Vivianne's cheek before leaving.

Vivianne hated it when her mother compared her to her older twin brother but tried not to show it. She looked back at her book and decided to read through it and go out to play with her friends, the children of her parent's siblings and the soldiers of the army.

Due to the war taking place, many people lost their lives on the battlefields and Vivianne knew she had to enjoy her time with her family as long as she could since no one knew when someone might die but she wanted to help them as soon as possible so she often stayed cooped up in dusty libraries and read books about tactics, another reason why she couldn't slack with her training.

Vivianne was about to turn her attention back to the books when she felt the atmosphere of the room suddenly changing and it grew incredibly dark so she jumped off the chair, gripping the tome she got from her great aunt as a birthday present, and looked around as she slowly backed towards the door. She knew that something was wrong and the feeling gave her goosebumps. With a faint trace of fear on her face she was about to reach for the doorknob when she bumped against something warm.

Vivianne twirled around abruptly and saw a foreign man standing in front of her, wearing unusual Sorcerer's robes. He had a dark skin and his eyes were piercing, his dark hair stuck straight from her head. The man had an intimidating aura surrounding him which caused Vivianne to tremble as she stumbled backwards but there were more men who appeared out of nowhere. She was about to scream but one of them cupped her mouth with his hand and muffled her scream, the others held her tightly so she couldn't escape.

"The Master was right." The man in the Sorcerer's robes said with a deep voice echoing through the chamber. "This one is perfect, the perfect vessel." He laughed. "Finally, after all this search."

Vivianne teared up as he approached her, moving like a spider.

"There's no need to cry, my dear. From this point on you're going to be the vessel for the great Fell Dragon, Grima."

He reached out to Vivianne who started to scream, not caring that she was silenced by the hand of a stranger, as darkness enveloped her.

As soon as the shadows were gone, the entire room was once again dimly lit by the candlestick, but this time without a young girl feverly reading books.


	2. Chapter I

Chapter I

In a dense forest, three people entered a wide field – a clearing – with three horses in tow. All three of them had got off the animals' backs and decided to walk and enjoy the nature. They were returning from a mission to their home, a city not far away from the spot they were currently located.

"Ugh, how long are we going to keep walking until we're finally home?" The young woman, the only female of the small group, asked. She had blonde hair tied to ponytails with a lacy headdress and wearing a Cleric's robes. She was walking ahead of the other two, two men, and looked quite annoyed.

"Lissa, you have suggested to get off the horses for a while as you can't ride anymore." One of the man answered. He had cobalt blue hair and eyes and was wearing a Lord's armor. A sword was strapped to his waist.

"But it's still so far away, Chrom!" Lissa pouted and looked over to the Great Knight with brown hair and eyes who was much bulkier than the other man, as if she was searching for help from him. "Frederick, say something to him."

Frederick only chuckled in response and shook his head.

"There's only a few hours until the night falls so we can have a rest then. Try to have patience." Chrom answered but noticed that Lissa has stopped walking and stared ahead, her eyes fixed on something. "What's wrong, sis?"

Suddenly Lissa took off running and stopped at a spot where the grass had grew quite high, looking down on the ground.

"Chrom, come quickly! Someone has collapsed here!" She shouted and Chrom followed his sister while Frederick stayed behind with the horses.

When Chrom arrived next to Lissa, he spotted the collapsed person on the ground. It was a woman wearing Pelgian robes, her face was hidden by the hood of her coat. Her coat was opened and revealed a female figure. Light azure blue hair was sticking out of the hood and fell on her chest.

"Is... is she alive?" Chrom asked hesitantly and Lissa leaned down to press her head on the woman's chest and nodded then.

"Jup, she is. She doesn't seem to have any injuries." Lissa got up and looked at her brother. "Chrom, we have to do something."

"What do you propose we do?" Chrom replied confused and glanced from the woman to his sister, none of them noticing the woman underneath them starting to stir.

"Er...I...I... dunno." Lissa fidgeted and pouted as the woman on the ground opened the eyes with a moan. The siblings looked down in surprise and Lissa knelt down next to her.

"I see you're awake now." Chrom smiled and also crouched down while the woman looked curiously at them, almost as if she had no idea what they were talking about.

"H-Hey there." Lissa said slightly nervously.

"There are better places to take a nap on the ground, you know?" Chrom said and reached out his hand, showing a mark on his right shoulder. "Give me your hand."

The woman hesitantly grabbed his hand and he pulled her onto his feet, the hood sliding off her head to reveal her face which made Chrom stare in awe.

A pair of melancholy big brown eyes surrounded by thick long eyelashes stared back at him, her full rosy red lips parted slightly, apparently having tried to say something but she kept quiet. She had a cherubic face with a flawless skin and light azure hair surrounding it, tied up to a ponytail. Her bangs were falling on her forehead.

She was so beautiful, Chrom was struck speechless for a moment and his heart started to beat faster.

"A-Are you all right?" He asked as the woman's gaze went from him, to his sister and then to Frederick who approached them.

"Y-yes... Thank you, Chrom." A gentle voice answered.

"Ah, then you know who I am?" Chrom said surprised but the woman looked even more surprised.

"No, actually... I... It's strange... Your name, it just came to me..." She stuttered nervously at his gaze and looked down.

"Hm, how curious. Tell me, what's your name? What brings you here?"

"My name is... It's... hm?" She looked shocked, her brown eyes widen as she put a hand on her head, almost as if she was searching for something in her memories.

"You don't know your own name?" Chrom was even more suspicious but he couldn't bring himself to mention it as the woman looked truly distressed. She has grew pale in her face and looked thoroughly confused which made Chrom feel pity.

"I'm not sure. I'm sorry, but where am I?"

"Hey, I've heard of this! It's called amnesia!" Suddenly Lissa exclaimed with her green eyes wide.

"It's called a load of pegasus dung. We're to believe you remember Milord's name, but not your very own?" Frederick said slightly angry with his arms behind his back.

"B-but it's the truth!" The woman exclaimed in despair, biting down on her bottom lip. She looked like she was about to cry which made Chrom feel even worse. For some reason, he doesn't wanted to see her cry so he turned to his knight.

"What if it is true, Frederick? We can't just leave her here, alone and utterly confused. What sorts of Shepherds would we be?"

"Just the same, Milord, but I must emphasize caution."

"Right then, we will take her back to the nearby town and sort it out there." Chrom answered and looked at the woman who shot him a nervous, yet relieved smirk. She looked even more beautiful when smiling.

"D-Do I have a say in this?" The woman then said with a shaking voice and Chrom showed her a reassuring smile.

"Peace, friend. I promise we'll listen to your story when we're back in town. Now come with us." He turned around to go and waited until the woman followed him, though hesitantly, and headed the path along with Lissa and Frederick in tow. After a while the woman spoke up again.

"What will you do with me? Am I your prisoner?" She asked with fear in her voice and Chrom stopped when he looked around at her.

"You'll be free to go once we establish that you're no enemy of Ylisse."

The woman looked confused and frowned, almost as if she has never heard of Ylisse.

"Is that where we are? Ylisse?"

"You never heard of the halidom. Heh, someone pay this actress. She plays quite the fool! The furrowed brow is especially convincing." Frederick muttered with spite and the woman winced, once again looking as if she was about to break out in tears.

"Frederick, please." Chrom said to stop his knight. "This land is known as the Halidom of Ylisse. Our ruler, Emmeryn, is called the Exalt. I suppose proper introductions are in order. My name is Chrom, but you already know that. The delicate one is my little sister, Lissa."

"I'm not delicate! Please, ignore my brother. He can be quite thick sometimes, but you're lucky the Shepherds found you. Brigands would be quite a rude awakening!"

"Shepherd? You tend sheep in full armor?" The woman tilted her head with a puzzled expression.

"Hehe, it's quite a dangerous job. Just as Frederick the Wary here." He pointed with his opened palm to Frederick who sighed.

"A title I shall wear with pride. Gods forbid one of us keeps an appropriate level of cautions. I have every wish to trust you, stranger, but my station mandates otherwise." Frederick said, looking a bit more softer this time which apparently calmed down the woman as she nodded.

"I understand, sir. I would do no less myself." She paused for a moment. "I just remembered… my name is Vivianne. That's odd, but I suppose that's one mystery solved."

Vivianne looked relieved and Chrom looked surprised at her.

"Vivianne? Is that foreign? But, we can discuss that later. Once we…" He was interrupted by Lissa who grabbed his arm and pointed towards the outskirts of the town.

"Chrom, look! The town!"

The four of them turned their head to the town, thick smoke was rising into the sky and the outlines of the houses were reddish in color. Flames seemed to lick for the air.

"Damn it, the town was set ablaze! Those blasted brigands, no doubt. Frederick, Lissa! Let's go, quickly!" Chrom shouted and started to run but was stopped by Frederick who asked about Vivianne.

"Unless she's on fire as well, it can wait!" Chrom shouted in response and once again took off running. Frederick and Lissa followed him as Vivianne stared at their retreating silhouettes.

"But what about…" She stopped and furrowed her brows, staying rooted on the spot. She had no idea what to do and scrunched her face in hope that - if she concentrates enough - she will regain some memories but her mind stayed empty, only the feeling that something dreadful happened lingered in her heart.

Shaking her head she noticed a book in a pocket inside of her coat and pulled it out. It was light azure in color, just like her hair, and was quite worn out almost as if it was used many times. She also had a curved sword whose name was Levin. However, the book gave her a nostalgic feeling, mixed with sadness. It seemed to mean a lot to her, even though she had no idea why.

Curiosity overwhelmed Vivianne and she opened it, looking at many different formulas and spells so she figured out it was a tome which helped her utilize magic. At that point she remembered the tome's name, Orion, and how to use magic. Vivianne looked up to the direction where the three Shepherds have disappeared to and took off running as well to aid them in battle. She doesn't knew why, but for some reason she felt she should help them.

When she started to move, Vivianne noticed that she also knew unarmed and armed combat with a sword and her body was quite fit which prove that she had been training for fights. Using her leg strength she ran faster, seemingly flying over the ground. For some reason she could sense how many people were on the battlefield, enemies and allies alike.

Reaching the town square she spotted Chrom who was talking and shouted at him to wait.

"Vivianne! You followed us! Why?"

"I-I can fight as well, if you'll have me." She answered and gripped her tome tightly, her expression determined. Chrom looked at her for a moment but then nodded.

"Of course. Strength in numbers. Just stay close!" He ordered as Vivianne jumped over to his side, tome and sword in hand.

"Remember, Vivianne. We are facing practiced thieves and murderers. It's kill or be killed." Frederick said as he mounted his horse, holding a lance with a banner.

Some thieves approached them and Chrom fended them off, glancing over to Vivianne and raised his brows.

"So, Vivianne, I see you carry a sword. Is it… wait, is that a tome? You know magic?"

"I think so." Vivianne answered and noticed Chrom walking a few steps away.

"Don't worry, I'll just keep a few paces behind you for the time being." He said with a nervous sweat but Vivianne shook her head.

"No, I can control it, I'm sure of it. It- it should work like this, right?" Vivianne muttered to herself and opened the tome, whispering the foreign language which created flying runes around her and she directed azure colored lightning at the enemies. They kept fighting with Lissa healing them and after a while Vivianne finally remembered how to properly fight as her muscle memories were helping her.

"Still with us, Vivianne?" Chrom asked and returned to Vivianne's side who was absorbed in thoughts. She could see patterns how the enemies were behaving and her sharp sight could analyze their vitals and strength, their weaponry and even the flow of the battle. It was like something in her head was telling her all of this.

"Hm, it's strange. Here on the battlefield, I can see things."

"See things? Like what?"

"The enemy's vitals, their weapons and how the battle is going to take place. I can see through their movements, and yours as well. I must have studied this somewhere." She replied and fend off another two enemies with azure fire encircling and burning them.

"So you're saying you can size up the enemy at a glance?" Chrom seemed impressed and Vivianne shot him a wry smile.

"Yes, it would seem so. And maybe even more, when I concentrate."

She turned her back to Chrom and told him and the other two how to move during the battle which helped them as they cut down one after another and Vivianne even tried using more powerful spells to defeat more enemies at once which made her feel quite great. It was not quite bloodthirst, but the feeling of being superior was like an adrenaline rush. Occupied with some of the foes, she did not see another one approach her from behind and was about to turn around and kick him away when Chrom interfered and cut right through his chest.

"Are you all right, Vivianne? Don't rush into danger."

"I'm fine, Chrom. Don't worry." Vivianne answered. The two of them were almost reaching the thieves' boss and fought side by side.

"You've lent us strength, even more than I have thought. This makes you a friend. Having an ally by my side gives me courage." Chrom smiled at her which made Vivianne's heart flutter and she returned his smile.

"Thank you, but… I think there's more to it than that."

"What do you mean?"

"There's a huge tactical advantage to fight side by side… it improves strength, defense, speed and so on by watching each other's backs. I'm sure of it." She answered and Chrom immediately stayed close to her, telling her he is going to fight by her side which made her feel embarrassed though tried to hide it as they moved together towards the boss, Garrick.

"All right, guys! You all know the routine, don't let anyone stand in our way! Take them all down!" He shouted with a snigger and Chrom nudged Vivianne with his elbow in the side.

"Good, we haven't been noticed. Let's get close while we can! I'll go first. Where to go?" He whispered to him and Vivianne looked ahead.

"He's distracted so we can move right ahead." She said and Chrom ran up to Garrick who turned around, screaming.

"Shepherds! Finish them off, we'll deal with the villagers later!" But before he could even say anything Chrom attacked him and Vivianne supported him by sending blasts of azure light towards the enemy who screamed and fell to the ground.

"Well, that's the end of that." Vivianne then said and took a deep breath, closing her tome and she put her weaponry away inside of her cloak.

"Lucky for the town, we were close by." Lissa excitedly gripped her staff and then looked over to Vivianne with a huge smile. "But holy wow, Vivianne! You were incredible! Martial Arts, sword, sorcery and tactics! Is there anything you can't do?"

"You're certainly no helpless victim, that's for sure." Chrom said, apparently still impressed and Vivianne looked away shyly.

"Indeed. Perhaps you might even be capable of an explanation for how you came here?" Frederick then asked when he dismounted his horse and Vivianne sighed.

"I understand you skepticism, Sir Frederick. And I can not explain why only some knowledge has returned to me. But please, believe me - I have shared all that I know." She folded her hands together and pressed them against her chest, looking down on her feet.

"You fought to save Ylissean lives. My heart says that's enough." Chrom answered and Vivianne looked up again with a feeling of relief flooding through her chest.

"And your mind, Milord? Will you not consult it?"

"Frederick, the Shepherds could use someone with Vivianne's talents. We have brigands and unruly neighbors, all of them looking to soak the soil with our blood. Would you really have us lose such a capable combatant and tactician? Besides, I believe her story, no matter how odd it might be." Chrom answered and Vivianne smiled as she was sunken deep in thoughts. She tried to find out what to do from now on, she had no idea where to go as nothing looked familiar. But hearing Chrom saying all those things about her was making her feel fuzzy.

"Th-Thank you, Chrom."

"So how about it? Will you join us, Vivianne?" Chrom looked at her with a smile and Vivianne glanced around them, Frederick still had an uncertain expression on his face while Lissa was nodding encouragingly.

"It would be an honor." She bowed slightly and smiled back at Chrom.

The four of them returned to the horses and Chrom asked Vivianne whether she knew how to ride a horse but she was uncertain so he helped her up on his horse and mounted it as well, sitting before her. Vivianne hesitantly put her arms around his middle. With a movement of his feet the horse slowly started to move and Vivianne tightened her hold on Chrom, scared to fall off.

"Did you notice, Milord? The brigands spoke with a Plegian accent." Frederick said as he rode up to be next to Chrom, Lissa behind him.

"Plegian? What's that?" Vivianne asked and noticed it sounded familiar, but no memories came back to her. Chrom looked over his shoulder to her, his cobalt eyes meeting her brown ones.

"Plegia is Ylisse's western neighbor. They often send small bands into our territory, hoping to start a war." He explained and Vivianne nodded in return.

"And it's the poor townsfolk who suffer! Totally innocent and helpless…" Lissa pursed her lips but was interrupted by Frederick.

"They do have us, Milady. Shepherds to protect the sheep. Do not be swept up in your anger, it will destroy your judgement."

"I know, I know. Don't worry, I will get used to all of this."

They were about to leave the outskirts of the town when suddenly a villager came running up to them, stopping right in front of Chrom's horse.

"Milord, please wait! You must stay the night! We are a simple folk, but we would gladly celebrate your valor with a feast."

Before Chrom could even answer, Frederick already passed up the offer and started to bicker with Lissa who was certainly against riding during the approaching darkness.

"Frederick? Sometimes I hate you." Lissa pouted and Vivianne giggled.

"You have quite the stern lieutenant."

"Yeah, stern is only one name for it. I can think of a few others!" Lissa answered and Chrom laughed.

"Frederick only smiles when he's about to bring down the axe."

"You do realize that I am still present." Frederick cleared his throat and Chrom laughed even more.

"Of course we do."

Vivianne laughed with him and leaned her head against Chrom's back, noticing that his pulse started to quicken.

"Milord remains as amusing as ever." Frederick squinted his eyes in a slightly annoyed expression. "Now then, shall we be going?"

"All right, all right." Chrom replied, still a grin plastered on his face. "Ready to head out, Vivianne? The capital isn't far."

Vivianne, sitting behind him, nodded with a smile and tightened her grip on him even more as the horse started to move faster.


	3. Chapter II

Chapter II

After riding for awhile they decided to make a stop and Chrom was the first one to get off his horse. He held out his hand to help Vivianne to dismount it and she almost fell but he caught her quickly, their bodies colliding against each other and Chrom stumbled backwards but managed it to hold his footing.

"Whoa, careful there!"

"T-Thank you…" Vivianne muttered, feeling flustered and broke away from Chrom. After having ridden a horse for quite a while she remembered again how to ride though wasn't sure if she will manage it on her own, it felt like the last time she has ridden a horse was a long time ago.

While Lissa was complaining about bugs and Frederick has started collecting firewood, Vivianne noticed how her stomach growled. She was really hungry and it felt like she hadn't eaten for days. Chrom apparently noticed that and went off to hunt something down. The others were busy and Vivianne had no idea what to do, eventually deciding on tending to the horses. Checking the saddle she noticed a mark on her right hand and for some reason it gave her goosebumps and she leaned forwards, putting her hand on her stomach as she felt sick for some reason. She quickly pulled the sleeve of her robes over her hand to hide it and waited until the dizziness passed. Trying to concentrate on something else, she walked over to Frederick and decided to help him.

Not long later the four of them were sitting around the cozy campfire and Vivianne eagerly ate the bear meat Chrom got for them, it doesn't particularly tasted very good but she was so hungry, she doesn't minded.

"Mmm, it's been a long time since I last had bear meat." Chrom who was sitting next to Vivianne also ate his portion with a happy expression. He looked over to his sister who was sitting across him, not even touching the bear meat. She also had a disgusted expression on her face. "What's wrong, Lissa? Dig in."

"I pass. Gods, couldn't you just hunt down a normal animal for us to eat? Right, Vivian…" Lissa had looked over to Vivianne but the tactician was still devouring the food and sighed. "I suppose a person would enjoy just about anything after not eating for days."

"Just eat it, Lissa. Meat is meat."

"But it doesn't have to stink of boots! No, even boots smell better!" Lissa complained and looked over to Frederick who wasn't eating as well. "Look, Frederick isn't eating, either."

"I… uh… had quite large lunch, yes…"

"Yeah, right, Frederick!"

Vivianne, having finished her meal, watched their exchange with a smile and after the meal the group then went to sleep and continue their journey the next morning.

The tactician curled into a ball close to the fire and pulled the hood over her head to sleep more comfortably, but no matter how much she tried, she just couldn't. She had mixed feelings about what was going to happen with her next or her past. It was like a huge gap in her mind. With a sigh she got up and walked off to stretch her legs.

Looking up to the sky she noticed that it was without any clouds, the stars were shining brightly which proved that tomorrow should be great weather.

Having walked for a while Vivianne sat down on a tree stump and had her head in her neck, her eyes closed. Her thoughts were circling around her not existent memories. She was wondering how she lost them or why she had collapsed.

"Are you all right?"

A voice behind her startled her and Vivianne looked around to see Chrom approach her.

"Oh, it's you, Chrom."

"Heh, were you afraid I was a brigand?" He had a teasing smile on his lips but it disappeared when he saw Vivianne's sad expression. "Can't sleep?"

"No, not really. I guess having no memories distresses me to the point I can't find a proper rest."

"You can share your worries with me, Vivianne." Chrom replied with a soft expression which caused her heart to flutter and she showed him a crooked smile.

"I'm just sad I don't remember anything. It frustrates me." She muttered. "I can't imagine a reason why I lost them or why I have collapsed and I don't know what to do."

"Don't worry, we'll help you sort out everything." Chrom patted her head for a moment when his body suddenly tensed and he looked around.

"What's wrong, Chrom?"

"Something is amiss…" He whispered and after a split moment, Vivianne also noticed it. The shadows have enlarged and seemed to try to grasp for them and the birds have grew silent. The cold wind has also picked up and the entire atmosphere was ice cold. It was like something dangerous was about to approach them.

"I think I'll have a look around." Chrom added and was about to walk away when Vivianne jumped on her feet and rushed next to him, ready to follow the Lord.

"I'll come with you, it's better you won't walk around all alone."

Chrom looked surprised at her but then nodded with a smile and the two of them ventured deeper into the forest staying side by side, Chrom walked ahead of Vivianne. The latter was wondering why it was so quiet all of the sudden as only a moment ago the birds were tweeting happily. Chrom agreed when she told him that and added that something wrong was going on here when suddenly the ground started to shake. Losing her footing, Vivianne almost fell but was caught by Chrom's strong arms when she also noticed a weird light in the sky and looked up. The light spread and changed into a circle with runes from which weird creatures slipped and fell to the ground right before Chrom and Vivianne. Chrom immediately grabbed his sword's hilt and stepped in front of Vivianne who took her tome from her coat.

"Gods, what? What is this madness?" Chrom muttered in shock as the creatures attacked them. The creatures looked like humans but they seemingly had no mind or free will on their own. Without waiting a moment the creatures attacked them right away and Chrom reacted fast, dodging the attacks and slid his blade through the monsters' bodies, but Vivianne couldn't react that fast as she was still taken aback by the sudden appearance of the monsters. One of them attacked her from behind when suddenly a figure jumped from the circle and landed between her and the attacker, parrying the sword with it's own. A face hidden behind a mask was right in front of her, with cobalt blue hair. Vivianne saw right away that the girl won't be able to hold herself too long against the creatures and hurled azure lightning at them.

"That was quite an entrance." Chrom said and looked at the person, just as Vivianne did. She noticed that - though the person was trying to look manly - it was a girl. "What's your name?"

However, he couldn't hear any answer as Lissa and Frederick came running over to them with worried expressions.

"Milord, are you hurt?!" Frederick shouted as he took his lance and got ready for battle.

"Where did these creatures come from?" Lissa asked with fear in her voice and Chrom explained what has happened when Vivianne looked over to the girl with the mask but she was already gone. She was wondering what has happened to her and where she went off to but somehow she got a nostalgic feeling around her, it warmed her heart.

However, she had no time to go looking, as they had to fight the creatures and Vivianne did her job in a perfect way to direct her allies towards the last of the creatures without any fatalities or injuries, even while she was fighting herself, and two new allies eventually appeared as well. Being supported by Chrom, she defeated the boss which fell and disappeared into nothingness.

It was in that moment that Vivianne realized the girl from before has appeared again, standing silently next to her and seemed to stare at her.

"Uhm… I guess I should thank you. For saving me." Vivianne smiled gently and noticed that the girl bit down on her bottom lip, almost as if she was trying not to cry.

"It seems like all the creatures vanished." Frederick noticed. "This young man took care of the others."

Vivianne was about to tell him that it was not a young man but a young woman, but was interrupted by Chrom and Lissa's arrival.

"You have helped us fight." The first exclaimed. "My name is Chrom. Might I ask yours?"

"Marth." The girl said after a moment of hesitation.

"Marth? After the heroic king? You certainly do fight like a hero, where did you learn swordplay?" Chrom has apparently taken some interest in Marth whose body was trembling slightly and this time Vivianne was certain she held back tears.

"I'm not here to talk about me." Marth said after a while. "This world teeters at the brink of a horrible calamity. What you saw tonight is just a prelude. You have been warned."

With that Marth left, leaving the group behind. Vivianne was about to call out to her, telling her to stay with them but the young woman was already gone.

"Huh, what's teetering where now?" Lissa looked clearly confused and so Vivianne finally directed her attention back to the group.

"Not much for conversation, it seems."

"It appears his skills lie elsewhere. I wager we'll hear his name again. But I'm more concerned about the capital. Let's make haste." Frederick said and started walking back to the campsite and while the others waited for him to return with the horses, Chrom introduced Sully, another Shepherd, to Vivianne and Virion immediately started to flirt with her but stopped when Chrom cut him off.

Vivianne again climbed on the back of the horse with Chrom's help and he swung himself before her and they took off towards Ylisse's capital, Ylisstol. Upon entering the city Vivianne was overwhelmed by the size and colors of the town. The streets were bustling with life, they had to get off their horses to direct through the crowd.

"So this is Ylisstol… there are so many people!" Vivianne had an excited gleam in her eyes as she looked around, trying to suck in all those different attractions at once and noticed that people were staring back at them, whispering to each other.

"It appears the capital was spared from the madness, thank the gods. I also see no evidence of the quake." Frederick said with a relieved expression.

"Well, that's a relief!" Lissa grinned and looked around to Vivianne, who was still absorbed in the sights that she almost ran into a carriage but was pulled away by Chrom in the last moment.

Suddenly the people around them started to grow excited and Vivianne wondered what was going on and looked up, trying to get a look at the happenings. Some of them shouted that the Exalt came to see them. Vivianne finally got a better look at the Exalt, a woman with blonde hair and green eyes who had a striking resemblance to Lissa, waving to the citizens.

"The Exalt is your ruler, right?"

"Yes, her name is Lady Emmeryn." Frederick told her and Vivianne furrowed her brows. She always thought kings and queens had to stay almost all the time in their castles as being in the open would be too dangerous.

"Is it safe for her to walk in the open like this?"

"The Exalt is a symbol of peace. A long time ago, the Fell Dragon was slayed by the first Exalt who has joined forces with the Divine Dragon. Exalt Emmeryn reminds us of the peace we have fought for."

"With Plegia poking at our borders, the people will need her. When others might call out to a war, she stays calm." Chrom told Vivianne who was listening closely to not miss anything, to gather at least some new knowledge.

"The Ylissean people are truly happy to have her… and lucky." She muttered, partly to herself, and smiled when she saw how excited the people were to see their ruler.

"She's also the best big sister you could ask for!"

"Sister? Then you and Chrom…" Vivianne muttered in shock but was interrupted by Frederick.

"They are the prince and princess of the realm, yes. You remember Milord's name but not this?" Frederick once again grew stern and Vivianne gulped. She doesn't really felt good seeing Frederick looking critically at her, it made her only feel more nervous.

"But you said you were Shepherds."

"We are, in a manner of speaking." chrom said and shot Frederick a glance so the knight loosened up again.

"Prince and princess, huh? Now I understand why Frederick tolerates all this teasing." Vivianne chuckled and heard the Great Knight sigh.

"Indeed. Oh, the sacrifice I make for the good of the realm."

"It looks like Emmeryn is returning to the palace." Chrom said, ignoring Frederick, and glanced over to Vivianne. She nodded in response and followed the prince to the palace. The guards welcomed Chrom and Lissa - even Frederick - back and shot Vivianne a curious glance before opening the gates and letting them enter. The tactician looked around the hall as they headed to the courtyard, for some reason Vivianne couldn't feel truly impressed by the palace as she had a feeling she already saw a more impressive one.

As soon as they entered the courtyard, Exalt Emmeryn approached them.

"Chrom, Lissa, welcome home. Oh, and good day, Frederick. How fared you all?" She had a gentle voice and Vivianne started to feel calm right away, Emmeryn truly had a calming presence. Just like Vivianne's mother had.

Realizing what she just thought, Vivianne stopped breathing in shock. She just remembered something, but that was all. She tried to force out more, but there was nothing. She then noticed Emmeryn was looking at her and forced herself to return back to reality.

"This is Vivianne. She fought bravely with us against the brigands. I've decided to make her a Shepherd." Chrom said and walked up to Vivianne, putting his hand on her shoulder. She looking up to him in surprise.

"It sounds as though Ylisse owes a debt of gratitude, Vivianne." Emmeryn said with a kind smile and Vivianne shook her head.

"Not at all, Milady."

"Forgive me, Your Grace, but I have to speak." Frederick suddenly intervened. "Vivianne claims to have lost her memories but it is only that: a claim. We cannot rule out the possibility that she is a brigand herself or even a Plegian spy." He eyes Vivianne, especially her clothes.

"Frederick!" Chrom shouted angrily but the knight ignored him.

"Yet you allowed her into the castle, Chrom. Does this woman have your trust?" Emmeryn asked Chrom with a faint frown but her eyes were still lingering on Vivianne who has grew pale. She felt like they were debating whether to kill her or not. Nervously, she played with her fingers and felt Chrom reassuringly stroke with his thumb over her shoulder.

"Yes. She risked her life to protect our people. That's good enough for me." He said and Vivianne's shoulders sank in relief.

"Well then, Vivianne. It seems you have earned Chrom's faith, and as such you have mine as well." Emmeryn smiled at her and she smiled back.

"Milady." She bowed slightly and felt Chrom's hand slide off her shoulder which surprisingly disappointed her.

"But thank you for your caution, Frederick. Chrom and Lissa are blessed to have so tireless a guardian. I do hope they remember to mention that from time to time."

"They occasionally express something akin to gratitude, Your Grace." He then turned to a white-haired woman wearing Pegasus Knight armor. "Phila, I assume you have heard about the creatures we encountered, yes?"

"Yes, Milord. They have been sighted all across Ylisse." Phila answered.

"Chrom, we are about to hold council." Emmeryn then spoke up. "I was hoping you would join us."

"Of course." Chrom replied after a glance at Vivianne. The latter then felt a tug on her robes and turned around to Lissa who told her she wanted to show her a certain place. She lead Vivianne through many different halls and places until they reached a building Lissa called the Shepherd's garrison. When Vivianne entered, many people looked around and watched her with interest which made her feel shy and flustered.

The garrison looked truly like a military building, filled with weapons and training dummies.

Lissa turned to look at Vivianne and tell her something when she was surrounded by a few people. Vivianne decided to stay in the back and watch their conversation. There was a young woman around Lissa's age with blonde locks and a refined attitude, wearing Troubadour clothes. The other woman seemed to be a Pegasus Knight and had ash brown hair and was quite klutzy and a wild-looking man with blonde hair, a Fighter. Considering their conversation, Vivianne figured out that their names were Maribelle, Sumia and Vaike.

Eventually, their attention shifted to Vivianne.

"Who's the stranger?" Vaike asked but Lissa only sighed as she grabbed Vivianne's wrist and pulled her closer to them.

"No one's stranger than you, Vaike. But allow me to introduce Vivianne! She just joined the Shepherds. Chrom's made her out new tactician. You have to see how many tricks she has up her sleeve!" Lissa said proudly, almost as if she was talking about a family member.

"Oh yeah? Can she do this?" Vaike then burped loudly and Vivianne laughed with her hand before her mouth.

"I'm sure I have much to learn in the belching arts, Teach. Well, it's a pleasure to meet you all." She bowed slightly and noticed Maribelle waving her hand before her nose, looking utterly disgusted.

"Ugh, Vaike! That was absolutely abhorrent! Must you baseborn oafs pollute even the air with you buffoonery? And you, Vivianne! Don't encourage him! I thought you were cut from finer cloth!" She threw her hair over her shoulder as she turned around and rushed away with her nose high in the air which surprised the tactician.

"Don't take it to heart, Vivianne. Maribelle warms to people slowly." Sumia said with a slightly sad smile as she looked after Maribelle who disappeared in the entrance door.

"Or burns too quickly!" Lissa laughed. "But just give her time, she will like you."

Vivianne nodded in response as she was lead around the building and other Shepherds were introduced to her. It was a bit difficult for her to remember all those new names and faces but Vivianne decided to do her best in backing them up during battles.

The entrance door then opened and Chrom walked in, having a hard expression on his face.

"Ah! Captain, you've returned! I was – I mean, we were so..." Sumia ran up to Chrom but before she reached him, she tripped over nothing and fell face first on the ground. Chrom was about to reach out his hand to her.

"Sumia! Are you all right?"

Before he could reach her, Sumia jumped onto her feet and cleaned herself off the dust.

"Those boots of yours again?"

"No! I mean, yes! I mean..." Sumia sighed disheartened when Chrom walked past her, looking longingly at him which somehow made Vivianne have a weird feeling of envy in her heart but fought it back.

"All, right. Listen, everyone: in the morning, we will be marching to Regna Ferox!" Chrom's voice boomed through the building and almost immediately it grew loud when people started to talk. Vivianne turned to Sumia next to her and asked her about Regna Ferox.

"It's an unified kingdom of Ylisse's north. Inhabited by barbarians, or so it's said."

"Warriors are what they are, and we'll need their strength to quell this new menace. Typically, the exalt would request such aid in person. But given recent events... Well, the people might worry should my sister suddenly leave the capital. So the task has been passed to us.

Now, this mission is strictly voluntary. So if, for any..." Chrom had started to talk again when a few of the Shepherds volunteered for the mission already without waiting for him to finish.

In the evening, Sumia led Vivianne to the dining hall where most of the Shepherds were dining, she told her that Chrom and Lissa join them from time to time but they mostly eat together with Emmeryn in the palace.

"It's quite lively here." Vivianne muttered as she saw how the dining hall was bustling with people. The most of them were still in their armor and seemed not to mind the metal.

"Stahl! You need to leave something for the others, too!" She heard a woman with red hair clad in Pegasus Knight armor say as Stahl was gobbling down the food when Vivianne and Sumia reached the table.

"But it tastes so good!"

The woman then noticed Vivianne and walked around Stahl to her, her hand on her chest.

"I heard that Lord Chrom has recruited a new member. I assume it's you?"

"Yes. My name is Vivianne. Nice to meet you." Vivianne bowed a bit when she introduced herself. The woman then introduced herself as Cordelia and started to talk with Vivianne about certain things so sitting between her and Sumia, Vivianne had quite a nice evening and then decided to read a few books about tactics and Ylisse before going to sleep.


	4. Chapter III

Chapter III

In the morning the Shepherds, under Chrom and Vivianne's lead, marched into Regna Ferox. Having passed a few fields where they have been attacked by the Risen but thankfully, no one was hurt and more of the Shepherds joined them during the battles while Vivianne was complimented for her skills from left and right and the Shepherds seemed to be even more interested in her which made her feel flustered but she enjoyed being trusted.

In the evening they set out the camp Vivianne watched the other Shepherd train and prepare for the journey through Regna Ferox's harsh climate as she sat by a table with a detailed map showing Regna Ferox and its border to Ylisse and played with two pawns she used to mark as either the Shepherds or the enemy's army. She then heard feet moving behind her and turned her head to look over her shoulder. Chrom had been greeting the other Shepherds and moved towards her.

"Finished training for today, Vivianne?"

"With combat practicing, yes. But I thought I might practice my skills a little bit." She answered as Chrom stepped next to her and sat down on the stool which was standing by the table.

"You just joined us and yet you do twice the work the others do. You should relax a bit, put your feet up. Experienced soldiers rest when they can. On a campaign like this, you never know when the next battle might break out." Chrom leaned his elbow on the wooden table and propped his head up with his hand as he watched Vivianne who smiled wryly as she placed a few pawns across the map.

"Heh, so I've noticed. With all that's happened recently, we've barely had time to even eat."

"It's been a tough road, to be sure. And it's only going to get harder, especially because we're going to enter the Feroxi territory."

"I do try and rest when I can, though." Vivianne smiled a sly smile with closed eyes. "A lady needs her beauty sleep, after all."

As she heard no response from Chrom she raised her head to look at Chrom who looked taken aback and had a nervous smile on his lips.

"...What?" She asked, looking annoyed. "Did I say something?"

"Er, no... No, it's nothing. It's just that... Well, I just didn't consider you the type to care after beauty and such... I suppose I've never really thought of you as a lady." Chrom scratched his cheek and stole a nervous glance towards Vivianne who looked angrily at him.

"What do you mean by that?!" Her sight grew acidly cold and Chrom looked even more nervous talking to her.

"No! I mean... I didn't mean... not like that! That is to say, a lady, per se... Uhm... You know, how you fight and strategize... Not to say a lady can't fight, but... Gods, this is coming out all wrong." Chrom cupped his mouth with his hand and stuttered, stealing nervous glances to Vivianne who had squeezed the pawns in her hand so much they were destroyed and looked with squinted eyes.

"My goodness, Chrom. You're the scion of a noble family, aren't you? Didn't they teach you manners at your fancy schools growing up?" Vivianne somehow enjoyed him sweating and played being cold, smiling at him with closed eyes.

"Oh, gods, yes. Of course they did. We spent a whole term on etiquette."

Vivianne could only imagine that term being extremely boring as she did not understand what was so great on formal etiquette expect looking plush but continued jokingly bullying Chrom.

"Perhaps you could use another term, this time on how to talk with a lady."

"It's just my image of a lady is someone so prim and proper... perfumed and very pretty... Nothing like you at all!" For some reason it felt like someone struck an arrow through her heart when he said she doesn't looked pretty but Vivianne tried not to show. "When I look at you, I just don't see a lady! Does that..."

Tired of Chrom's stupid explanations and still quite hurt that he doesn't see her as a pretty woman, Vivianne let her gaze wander and found a small rock on the ground. She leaned forwards to grab it and looked with eyes akin to a predator at him.

"Er, Vivianne? What are you doing with that rock?"

"I'm thinking a sharp blow to the head might help fix your eyesight."

"N-no! Wait! It was just a joke! Ha ha...ha?" He looked extremely distraught when Vivianne got ready to throw the rock and jumped onto his feet. "Gotta go!"

He disappeared out of her sight before she even knew it and Vivianne sighed as she let the rock fall back to the ground.

"I don't believe it. The little craven actually ran away! What kind of manners... Sheesh... Oh, well." She shrugged and turned her attention back to the tactical map. "Perhaps it's only fair. It's not like I think of him a gentleman, yet alone a fancy noble."

She shrugged and continued to work on her tactical skills.

The next day they reached the outskirts of Regna Ferox, the landscape grew more snowy and the wind cold so Vivianne rubbed her hands together to keep her fingers warm. It felt like she walked into a snowy place for the first time and the striking white color of the cotton-like substance made her squint her eyes as it blinded her. Lissa next to her was hugging her body and rubbed her upper arms.

"Brr. F-F-Frebberick! I'm f-f-f-reebing!"

"Stand beside my horse, Milady. She'll shelter you from the wind." Frederick said and Lissa rushed next to the horse, as Frederick has suggested, but continued freezing. Vivianne felt pity for her and took off her coat to put it around Lissa's shoulders who looked surprised up to her.

"A-Aren't you cold, Vivianne?"

"No, only my hands. Besides, I wouldn't want you to catch a cold." She answered with a smile, pressing her tome to her chest, and walked up to Chrom who was trembling because of the cold but tried not to show it. From behind, she could hear Lissa shout a thank you.

Soon a wall appeared in front of it with a huge gate in the middle. On the sides were staircases leading to the top of the wall, the path closed by doors.

"So this is the fortress?" Vivianne asked Chrom who nodded.

"Yes, the Longfort. It stretches along the border of Ylisse and Regna Ferox."

"The khans that rule Ferox have grown quite wary of foreigners. Still, don't mistake a lack of hospitality for hostility. This simply calls for a bit of diplomacy." Frederick added from behind.

"Negotiation is not my strong suit, but I'll do my best." He turned around to the rest of the Shepherds. "Remember, everyone: your actions here reflect back upon Ylisse."

They finally reached the longfort and stopped, Vivianne looked up to the huge construct and concentrated on her senses which told her that there were some archers up there, still hidden from sight.

Vivianne then turned to Chrom and told him what to do when a voice boomed above them and when the tactician looked up she noticed a figure leaning over the fortress' walls to look at them.

"Halt! Who goes there?!"

"In the name of House Ylisse, I seek audience with the khans!" Chrom shouted, but no matter what he or Frederick said, the woman simply did not listen and attacked them.

The archers shot arrows at Chrom who was saved by Sumia riding on a Pegasus in the last minute and Vivianne once again felt envy when she saw Chrom sitting on the Pegasus behind Sumia but ignored it, focusing on her task to conjure a strategy for victory.

The Shepherd had not enough space to fight back and so Vivianne wondered how to make it more possible for a person to fight safely.

"Hmm..."

"What is it, Vivianne?" Chrom asked when he approached her and she looked over to him.

"I've been thinking about how you rode with Sumia earlier... Do our units always have to fight one-on-one?"

"Are you suggesting we pair up? What an interesting thought. I admit, I'd resemble a pincushion right now if it weren't for Sumia." Chrom rubbed his chin, the two of them were standing in a quiet spot where enemies weren't reaching them and they watched the others fight.

"Exactly. By pairing up, units could lend each other added offense and defense. It might also allow quicker soldiers to help slower units." She answered with an excited glint in her eyes. "This opens up all sorts of strategic possibilities! Our army should try it out whenever the opportunity presents itself."

"That's a very good idea." Chrom nodded and turned to the other units, telling them to pair up when there was an opportunity before his gaze went back to Vivianne. "Let's do this, Vivianne."

"Yes." Vivianne beamed at him and the two of them worked as a pair together through the enemy lines.

Vivianne had no idea how she did that, but for her it felt like she was flying through the enemy lines. Her body moved on its own and she struck down one enemy after another with her magic and sword. Her moving like a whirlwind across the battlefield clearly confused their opponents and she eventually reached Chrom and both of them proceeded to fight side-by-side.

With the great advantage of fighting as a pair, the two of them reached Raimi and Chrom eventually defeated her. After the battle, Chrom wanted to help the soldier up but she already went up on her feet.

"A thousand apologies, Prince Chrom. I truly took you for brigand impostors. But no frauds could ever wage a battle as you just have! I will send a word of your arrival to the capital and escort you there personally." Raimi said, bowing deeply and a relieved expression appeared on Chrom's lips.

"That would be most appreciated, thank you."

Raimi then bowed again and walked off, watched by Vivianne who had a perplexed expression on her face.

"Wow. Her whole demeanor changed."

"In Ferox, strength speaks louder than words. I should have known better than overestimate the value of diplomacy here..." Chrom sighed heavily when Lissa urged him to go on and so they left towards the capital.

The roads grew trickier the longer they walked, Vivianne once almost slipped as she was deep in thoughts about the Feroxi but Chrom caught her in time and told her she could grab onto him when she needed help walking over the icy parts of the road though Vivianne declined as she felt too embarrassed to do it.

Finally, they reached the capital of Regna Ferox and unlike Ylisseans, some people of Regna Ferox had quite hard expression and looked ready for a fight.

Raimi led them into the castle which resembled more a prison than a real castle and into the throne room. It was not as impressive as the one in Ylisse's palace and more simple but Vivianne was still surprised she actually got to talk to nobles like that, even when it was for diplomatic issues.

"Tha khan is away?" She asked as she let her eyes wander across the room, she would have expected the leader of such a country being in the throne room but there was no one.

"Out for training, I guess. For the khans, battle is their politics."

"The khan, huh? I guess it's a man bulky with muscles and a hairy chest..." Vivianne muttered as she imagined one when suddenly a voice from behind told her to go on with talking and she looked around only to see a woman with light brown skin and blonde hair approaching them. She introduced herself as Flavia, the East-Khan, and further told them she was willing to send out troops but couldn't until she wins against the West-Khan in a tournament. Chrom agreed on lending her their powers for the tournament and so they walked over to the arena. There was still some time until the tournament took place but Vivianne wanted to take a look at the arena to see whether her tactics would accommodate to the surroundings.

It was quite a wide field for battle and the spectator stands were high above them, probably so they could always get a proper look at the fighting.

"Of course there are no hindrances, it would handicap some fighters though I read some arenas have some to make the fighting more exciting. Of course there could be a hidden mechanism which could make hindrances come from a hidden spot in the ground..." She whispered as her eyes scanned the ground for small hints showing hidden gimmicks.

"Vivianne?"

Hearing Chrom saying her name behind her, she turned around and looked at him as he approached her with a guilty smile.

"What's wrong, Chrom?"

"I- I wanted to apologize for yesterday. You know, when I said you're not a lady. I guess I just thought of you as a guy by the way you fight and strategize and failed to look beyond that." He bowed with a serious expression. "I'm really sorry. I hope you forgive me."

Seeing him like that almost made Vivianne laugh but as it would have been rude to do so she bit on her lower lip to calm herself before answering.

"There's nothing to apologize, Chrom. I understood what you meant." She said and Chrom raised his head again. "Besides, I don't really think of you as a gentleman or a fancy noble so I guess we're even."

"That's harsh, Vivianne!" Chrom pouted but then the two of them broke out laughing, holding their stomachs. Together they returned to the hall which held the entrance to the arena and outside into the cold weather. Chrom led her to a hill next to to the castle on which they could see almost all of the town.

"I think... it's the first time I see snow. I know I have amnesia, but I have the feeling that this is the first time." She said and stretched out her hand to catch a snowflake which immediately melted in her hand.

"Hm, so you don't know this?" Chrom asked and when Vivianne turned to look at him she got a snowball right in her face. As the snow fell to the ground she made an annoyed expression but quickly crouched down and molded some snow into a ball in her hands but Chrom took to his heels but she followed him with greater speed and revenged herself by jumping on his back and burying his face in the snow but he slipped and fell, his arms quickly wrapping around Vivianne as they tumbled down the snowy hill to protect her and then stopped at the foot of the hill. Vivianne giggled in glee – even though she was partially covered in snow – until she realized she was lying on top of Chrom, with his arms still around her and her face grew bright red.

"Ooh, sorry!" She wriggled out of his arms and jumped on her feet but Chrom only laughed as he sat up and looked at her.

"You're not hurt, are you?"

"N-no. The snow has cushioned the fall..." She then added very quietly; "...and you..."

"That's good. Now let us return before Frederick the Wary comes to get us." Chrom laughed and walked ahead so Vivianne followed him, her cheeks growing hot when she looked at his arms and remembered the feeling of his arms around her. He has such strong and muscular arms yet he held her with such gentleness which made her heart beat faster.

"You have some snow here." He said and reached out his hand to wipe some snow from her head and Vivianne put her hands on her head and blushed.

"Hey, Vivianne?"

"Yes?"

"Do you mind if I call you Vivi?"

"Nope, not at all."

Not long later the tournament has finally begun and once they descended the stairs to the arena Vivianne's eyes caught a head of blue among the opponents. She rushed over to Chrom and tugged on his cape.

"Chrom, look!"

"I see him. I guess we're against Marth this time." Chrom muttered and put his hand on Falchion when they walked to the spot where they should begin the battle and both Chrom and Vivianne faced Marth whose expression was as always unreadable because of her mask and felt a hand on her shoulder. Chrom leaned over and whispered to her that he was going to challenge Marth while she and the others should focus on the other opponents. Vivianne nodded in response and made a sign to their allies before the fighting started.

He drew Falchion and held it right before him as Marth also drew Falchion which made Chrom hold his breath in shock.

"How did you get it?!" He shouted. "But... there's no way..." He jumped into the air and did his signature move as he attacked Marth but the latter quickly parried the blow and readied to attack them.

"Who taught you to fight?"

"My father!" Marth shouted as the two of them pounced at each other and started to exchange blows. Vivianne, on the other hand, teared her eyes away and took out her tome and sword

Vivianne took out her tome and sword and charged towards the first enemy close to her and, with some back and forth, defeated him. They continued to fight and Vivianne was actually surprised how strong they were but Miriel has told her right before the fight that Feroxi warriors tend to be more powerful than normal humans and as such found this challenge quite interesting.

"Gah!" Hearing Chrom's pained scream, Vivianne raised her head to search among her fighting allies for the prince and found him kneeling on one leg, holding onto Falchion whose blade was stuck in the ground. Marth was standing right before him, not even looking tired and held the Parallel Falchion in her hands.

Even though Chrom had told her not to interfere in his battle with Marth, she couldn't help herself as she started to run over to him. She just couldn't leave him alone in this state and the thought of him getting hurt was paining her.

"It's over!" Just as Marth raised the sword to strike down Chrom, Vivianne jumped between them and parried it with her own sword though the impact made her feel like her arm was going to break.

"Not as long as I'm here."

"Vivi!" Chrom shouted as she stumbled backwards and was about to get up but Vivianne stopped him with a sign of her hand and put away her sword. She knew that she had no chance with her sword against Marth as she was not a great swordsman and so grabbed her tome Orion.

She could see Marth hesitating but when she attacked her, Vivianne unleashed Thoron on her and easily defeated Marth who fell to the ground, Falchion falling out of her hand.

As soon as she saw Marth on the floor the tension left Vivianne's body and she looked down at her hand. Though the fight seemed to be easy at first, it was actually quite difficult as the Feroxi were quite the impressive warriors.

"We have to grow stronger otherwise it wouldn't be so easy for us in the future." She put Orion back into the inner pocket of her tome. When she looked at Chrom she noticed that he was beaming, even though he was injured.

"W-wha...?"

"We did it, Vivi! We did it! We won!" He excited like a little boy and it made Vivianne sigh.

"Except that you need to fight more carefully. You almost lost to Marth!"

"This is why we are such a great team! Your magic and my sword are quite powerful together." He grabbed her hand which surprised her. "But thank you for protecting me there. But let's not discuss about it now, look! They are celebrating us! We're the champions!"

He thrusted Vivianne's hand alongside his up in the air and the cheering grew only louder which made Vivianne grow bashful as she still did not know how to cope with so much attention on her.

Afterwards the commotion died down quite quickly and the West-Khan Basilio approached them with a present which turned out to be a man named Lon'qu and Vivianne had to stifle a giggle when she saw how he reacted around Lissa.

"By the way, how did you get to have Marth as your contestant?" Chrom asked Basilio after a while and the man looked surprised at him but then laughed.

"I dunno. One day he appeared and defeated our former champion. Quite the mysterious lad, that Marth!"

Vivianne watched them converse and noticed a head of blue from the corners of her eyes and decided to follow Marth as she had some questions for her but couldn't ask him the last time and this time if she misses her.

She dashed towards the figure and stopped when she was close enough, following her.

"Are you leaving already?"

Marth jumped and twirled around, presumably to see who it was, and Vivianne could see her face growing pale.

"Uhm... I..." She seemed to be searching for words and Vivianne chuckled.

"No need to be so shy. I have a few questions and was hoping you could answer them." She said but noticed that Marth seemed to hesitate to talk to her and was ceasing to look at Vivianne's face.

"I will try."

"Marth is not your real name, right? I doubt a mother or father would name their daughter after a man. Could you tell me your true name?"

"I... I would rather not answer that. But how do you know I'm a woman?"

"You're too graceful for a man, your voice is higher though you try to hide it by lowering it but it's still quite high. And your body and the part of the face I see is too feminine." Vivianne replied and saw Marth smiling faintly. She also thought to heard her say "Observant as ever" but it could have been her imagination.

"Then let me ask another question; I heard from Chrom that you came from some kind of portal. What was it?"

"You could see it as a kind of... door." Marth shook her head. "I'm sorry, Milady but I cannot answer any more of your questions as it would be too dangerous. I wish you a good day."

Marth turned on her heel and rushed away from Vivianne who was about to stop her until she heard Chrom calling out to her and turned around to look at him.

"There you are. I was wondering where you have run off to." He said as he reached her and Vivianne showed him a wry smile.

"I just hoped to ask Marth a few questions but the answers I received were only more confusing."

"You talked with Marth?"

"Yes but it was futile."

She told him what Marth has said and Chrom had no answer to that so they decided to return to the others and then proceed to Ylisstol to report to Emmeryn.

However, the way back did not seem to be as easy as it seemed as they were attacked by a horde of Risen and Chrom also almost lost his head accidentally peeking on Vivianne who had been bathing and though he swore he hadn't seen anything, Vivianne caught him glancing at her body from time to time but decided to let it slip as it was truly only an accident though it somehow amused her seeing Chrom being that flustered.


	5. Chapter IV

Chapter IV

Even with new allies secured and more troops on the hand, the peace in Ylisse did not last as long as Emmeryn or any other would have hoped.

With Plegia having invaded the city of Themis and abducted Maribelle, the Shepherds headed out to save her alongside Phila and Emmeryn who was determined to come along.

At the border between Ylisse and Plegia they encountered Plegia's king Gangrel and it was the first time Vivianne met him. He did not need to open his mouth for her to instantly know that he was indeed a madman.

Gangrel did not even started out politely and mocked Emmeryn, made fun of the royal siblings' father and then left the scene, his soldiers attacking the Shepherds. Vivianne did immediately scan their surroundings for the fight and gave Chrom a few instructions who shouted them to the others and then rushed to Phila's side to protect the Exalt alongside others who were standing in a circle around Emmeryn and fought off the soldiers and mercenaries of Plegia's army.

"Argh!" Phila screamed as she was hit but quickly recovered when Vivianne threw an Arcthunder towards her current opponent.

"Please, let me join the fight." Emmeryn pleaded behind Vivianne, protected by an additional sphere which Vivianne had erected but the tactician shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Your Grace, but I cannot let you do that. They are all out for your head so it would be too dangerous for you to fight." She glanced over her shoulder to look at Emmeryn and thus missed one of the soldiers attacking her when Chrom suddenly appeared and blocked the attack, slashing through the man's chest.

"Are you all right?" He asked and looked around, Vivianne was about to tell him she was and thank him when Emmeryn did the same thing and it somehow made Vivianne feel funny in her chest but she decided not to ponder on the emotion and team up with Chrom to defeat the rest of the Plegian soldiers and afterwards they all rested in the camp. Most of the Shepherds needed to be patched up so their healers were doing all they could and Vivianne was sitting on a rock by the small river next to which they have built the temporary camp and looked over the map of this region, in hope to gather enough knowledge to be able to instantly come up with a strategy during a surprise ambush.

"You're an eager student." A voice from behind said and Vivianne looked up in surprise to see Chrom looking over her shoulder with a grin.

"Better to learn about something than to not know and take wild guesses." She said, waving with the map in her hands as Chrom sat down next to her. "Are you all right? You have been quite injured before."

She looked at his right arm which was bandaged but Chrom only shrugged.

"It's only a slight cut, nothing to worry about. What about you, that one blow to the head must have been quite painful." He moved his hand to her head and stroked over the slightly swollen spot which was hurting when touched – though she tried not to show – and she quickly pulled away with flushed cheeks.

"I have been through worse... I think."

"You think?"

"Lately, when I sleep I have the feeling that I remember the memories but as soon as I wake up they're gone. It's quite frustrating." She sighed heavily, rolled the map back together and looked to the side.

"But that's a good sign, isn't it? You might be able to remember something in the end." Chrom put his hand over hers and though Vivianne did know it was meant as a reassuring gesture, it still made her heart jump and her face went aflame.

"I-I hope so." She muttered in return and the two of them looked at each other and then heard someone clear his throat behind them and turned her head to look over her shoulder. Frederick was standing behind them with his usual stern expression.

"Milord, Your Grace is waiting for you."

"Hm?... uh..." He took a look at Vivianne as if he was searching for inspiration but the latter only wondered what he was waiting for. "All right, I'm coming."

Vivianne watched Chrom and his butler-knight retreating to the main tent with a sad feeling in her heart and it surprised her. Her hand went to her chest and felt her heart beating against it, the hand Chrom had held before. She closed her eyes as she pondered why she felt like that around him lately, even during the time when Chrom wasn't around her he more than often dominated her thoughts. She felt envy when he talked all friendly with Sumia or the other woman and even silly envy when he was around his sisters. She was happy when she had his full attention and he talked to her. Her heart was beating faster when he touched her and once Vivianne realized what kind of feelings those might be, her face went bright red.

It couldn't be... She thought and opened her eyes, eyeing the surface of the water. No. No no no no. NO! I can't feel like that! No way!

She pressed her hands against her head and shook it, trying to get rid of the feelings and thoughts she had but it did not help.

"What are you doing?" This time it was Lissa who has approached her and Vivianne looked over to Chrom's sister in surprise.

"Oh... er..." Unable to find an answer she just gaped at the princess who laughed and sat down next to her.

"I just saw you two holding hands. Is there something going on?" He grinned and Vivianne shook her head wildly even though she started to have a headache due to the bump on her head.

"He... he was just reassuring me. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Oh really?" Lissa showed a smug smile. "He looked pretty distraught when you were in danger earlier. And you two seem so close."

"That's because we're friends." She replied and grew hesitant, not knowing whether she should ask the question she had but decided to pull it through. "Uhm... you see I have a question. The Shepherds have quite the close relationships and some of them are friends. Is it possible that it can grew to something beyond that? I mean, Chrom and Sumia are quite close, so I was wondering..."

"Well, we all spent quite a lot of time together so eventually we grew to be friends but I don't think there's anything beyond that. I mean, I don't even have somebody I have affections for her. And I don't think there's something going on between Chrom and Sumia, he is completely hopeless in romance. I have to know, I'm his sister after all. But why do you ask?"

"Pure curiosity." Vivianne quickly answered and stood up. "Thank you for the information."

She walked back into the camp but Vivianne swore Lissa shot her some suspicious looks.

A few days later they returned to Ylisstol during the evening and Chrom went alongside Emmeryn straight to the council while Vivianne remained at the Shepherd garnison and read through some books. She remembered how Chrom showed her the huge library in the palace and told her she was free to read any books she liked so she put on her coat and headed outside.

The air outside was cool and it was quite a relief comparing to the hot sun which was mercilessly shining down on them during noon. Vivianne took a deep breath and walked over the square to the palace hall. When she walked through the corridor leading to the courtyard she noticed Chrom standing there lost in thoughts and stopped. She thought about going over to him but wavered. Of course the thought of being in love with him was making it almost impossible for her to be around him as she felt nervous and shy, but seeing him standing there like that – similar to a little boy being lost and not knowing what to do – was making it unearthly for her to ignore him.

"Hey..." She said softly when she walked down the stairs and approached him and Chrom looked around to her.

"Vivianne? What... what are you doing here?"

"Oh, nothing in particular. I was just walking." She shrugged with a smile. "And you? It's a bit too late to be visiting the courtyard."

"No, I was just thinking about some unpleasant things." He looked at her with a frown, he looked like he was struggling with words but Vivianne stood still waiting for him to start telling her his thoughts. "You have to know, not everything Gangrel said was a lie. My father, the last Exalted, waged war on Plegia for many years. It was brutal and ended with his death 15 years ago. Plegia remembers their suffering, but so does Ylisse. Men died during the battles and farmers who barely could lift a pitchfork were sent to their deaths. There was almost no food and the kingdom began to collapse. I remember those times, and how much they affected Emmeryn."

"Such an experience is not easy to cope with. I'm sure it would change anyone." Vivianne answered with pity in her voice. She had seen a picture of the last Exalt in the castle and imagining him having unnecessary wars with an other country was making her sad. But even so, she had the feeling she heard something similar to that somewhere but no idea where.

"Yes. When our father died before her 10th year, he left her quite the legacy... Plegia's desire for vengeance... Our own people's unbridled rage... My sister became a target for blame from all sides. Her own subjects began to hurl insults—and stones. She still bears the scar from one... But she never let them see her pain. Only Lissa and I understood."

"It must have been so hard..."

"I cannot claim to know how she does it, Robin. I could never greet such hostility with warmth and patience. While our people mocked and vilified her, she reached out and healed them. She brought soldiers home to their families. She ended the war. And when Ylisse's spirit was mended and the people forgave her? ...She never resented them for it. She represents the best of the halidom—the part most worth protecting. She IS peace. But some men would take advantage of that. Men like King Gangrel. The day he understands peace will be the day death gives it to him. ...So perhaps I must be death's agent. Emmeryn would never order him killed, nor would I wish her to."

Vivianne listened to his story with sadness, even though Chrom was just telling her what he thought, she still could feel his emotions. Even though it was all over she just couldn't feel anything other than pity towards them. She opened her mouth to say something when a familiar voice rang out.

"Well spoken, sir."

Both of them looked around and found Marth walking towards them.

"Marth..." Chrom whispered surprised and even Vivianne was flabbergasted as how she entered the palace grounds. The only way in were the huge entrance doors.

"Good evening to you." Marth nodded towards Chrom and Vivianne but none of them answered.

"H-how did you get in here?"

"The cleft in the castle wall, behind the maple grove."

"There? But how would you?" Chrom rubbed his forehead with his palm. "Ugh..."

"You know the place, Chrom?" Vivianne asked and turned to look at him as he shot her quite the embarrassed smile.

"Yes. I... kind of... bashed in part of the wall while training the Shepherds. It's only a small hole, and I'd thought it well concerned, but..."

"Your secret's safe with me. I come here only to warn you."

"Warn us?" Vivianne asked in surprise and folded her arms before her chest as she took on a more serious attitude, sensing danger in Marth's words.

"The Exalt's life is in danger."

"What, Emmeryn? That's absurd. She's guarded at all hours." Chrom said and though he wasn't believing Marth, Vivianne did. She could hear the determination and seriousness in Marth's words and so decided to believe her, for the time being.

"What if... What if I told you I have seen the future? Would you believe me? A future where Emmeryn is killed. Here. Tonight."

"Seen the future? Have you lost your mind?" He looked over to Vivianne who was still eyeing Marth, trying to see beneath the mask. "What do you think, Vivi?"

"It sounds ridiculous, of course. But I can sense Marth is saying the truth. Let her prove it."

"Thank you, Milady." Marth replied and grabbed her Falchion, pulling it out. Chrom did exactly the same even though Vivianne tried to stop him.

"I'm about to save your life. From him." Marth looked over to the bushes from where a man emerged running towards them. Marth threw her sword upwards and jumped, grabbing the sword mid-air and killed the assassin by slicing his back. Landing back on her feet she looked over to Chrom and Vivianne.

"I trust this proof will suffice?"

"...Yeah."

Marth turned to look at them but in that moment another assassin emerged from the bushes and attacked Marth. She slipped on the sword of the first assassin as the other one sliced through her mask and as such let loose her hair which turned out to be quite long and Vivianne caught a glimpse of her face. On the other hand, Chrom sped past Marth and took care of the other assassin.

"Wait, you... you are a woman?!" He shouted, his eyes wide as he turned back to look at his savior. Marth looked from him to Vivianne and seeing Marth's face made her head spin. Her hand flew to her head. She could see a woman with the same hair color as hers, but the picture in her mind was foggy and blurry though Vivianne knew that she was an important person to her. When her sight focused again she noticed that Marth had a worried look in her eyes but then shook her head.

"And quite the actress, too. Honestly, I'm surprised you didn't figure out until just now while your wi... tactician did."

Chrom looked over to Vivianne but had no time to say anything as suddenly an explosion occurred inside the palace. Vivianne even could feel the impact here, in the courtyard. The three of them did not even spent more time standing around and talking and rushed into the palace. Vivianne ran ahead of Marth and Chrom as she was able to run way faster and gathered all the Shepherds, positioning them in all the entrances to block off the assassins.

"Milady." Marth approached her as Vivianne told Chrom to stand close to the chamber where Emmeryn was in and was about to rush to her position.

"Yes?"

"As I would like to help, please include me in your strategy." Marth said with a serious expression and Vivianne let her eyes wander around the hall until she saw the door leading to Emmeryn's room.

"By the door. The assassins are most possibly great at opening locks so you need to stand guard by it. Please try not to move away."

"All right."

She saw Marth walking to the door and dashed off, to take a look at the leader of the assassins. Vivianne stopped when she saw a man in weird sorcerer robes standing on the other side of the courtyard and as soon she laid her eyes on him the blood ran cold in her veins. Her body started to tremble uncontrollably and the edge of the wall she had put her hand on crumbled under her grip. Rage and anger swept through her, emotions she had never felt such strong feelings before. A name was on the tip of her tongue and even without memories, she knew she despised the name and the man even more. Her ears started to ring and her head felt like it would burst but she ignored it as her body stiffened.

"V...Validar...!" She spitted out the name and her mind went blank. She couldn't think of anything else than to kill that man, see him bleed to death. Her legs moved without her consciousness as she ran over to the spot where he was, taking care of the assassins in this surrounding.

Validar looked around and once he saw that Vivianne was dashing towards him, he laughed with a laugh that gave Vivianne goosebumps.

"Well, well... Ha ha ha! Oh, I know you..." Vivianne stopped as he said that, trying to regain control over her emotions.

"How? Who the hell are you?!" Vivianne demanded but Validar only laughed more.

"Submit to me, and perhaps I might honor you with the truth!"

"Forget it." Vivianne hissed as she attacked him but Validar easily dodged or deflected her attacks, no matter how strong they were. This frustrated Vivianne even more and she ignored her injuries as she mercilessly threw one magical attack after another, ignoring her gushing wounds and her magical energy running low.

After a while she stumbled backwards, panting exhausted and fell to her knees. Loss of blood and energy was taking its toll on her body and such she was unable to move properly anymore and Validar laughed in glee.

"You have gotten stronger. But not strong enough!" He shouted and shot another attack at her, but Vivianne was unable to dodge anymore, her heart beating faster as she could see that she wouldn't survive that attack.

"VIVIANNE!" Hearing Chrom roaring her name made her feel relieved and she felt his arms wrap around her before seeing him and they flew to the side, rolling onto the grass. She closed her eyes as she held onto him, the rage and anger replaced by a feeling of happiness. Happiness that he came to save her.

"Hey, Vivi... Gods, those wounds..." She heard him gasp in shock and slightly opened her eyes to look at him.

"It's all right." Vivianne shot him a weak smile but she could see the rage in Chrom's face as he jumped to his feet and sped towards Validar with Falchion in his hand.

"You bastard! How dare you?!" He was faster than Validar has anticipated and he pierced the sorcerer through his heart, pulling the blade out.

"No... this is... all wrong... How could you... have known the... plan..." Validar coughed blood as he lifelessly fell to the ground. Chrom only shot the corpse a short glance before he rushed over to Vivianne and took her in his arms.

"Don't die, Vivi. Stay with me." He said and stroked the hair out of her face. "I'll have Lissa and Maribelle patch you up soon."

Vivianne could feel his arms tremble as he held her and she let her head rest against his chest, she was incredibly tired but knew she couldn't fall asleep.

"That man… Validar… he knew who I am." She wheezed as she looked at the sorcerer's corpse.

Her headache grew even worse and before she even knew it, she blacked out.

She awoke to a dimly lit room, though one could not really say it was a room. Vivianne found herself in a cell somewhere in a basement as the cold and windowless prison cell showed. She also had no control over her body, her entire self. Moving her body made chains chink, chains which were fixed to handcuffs and shackles and made it impossible for her to move. The thin white nightdress she was wearing was also not a great help in keeping her warm and her body was smaller than she was used to, a child's body. The weird eye mark was still on her hand.

As she heard steps approach Vivianne raised her head to look who it was. At first she was afraid it was that man but it turned out to be a woman, clothed in similar robes as present day Vivianne. Her white hair seemed to glint like the moonlight.

"Don't be afraid, I won't do anything." She said as Vivianne slid backwards, not too far though as the chains made it impossible. "I know how important it is for us all to have Master Grima back… but I can't let them torture a little girl any further just because she's the only match…" the rest of her words were incomprehensible as Vivianne's vision turned blurry. In the next moment she was running alongside the woman through a long hall, loud voiced behind them. Vivianne turned her head to look when she saw the sorcerer throwing a ball of fire at them and the woman who had been holding her hand and called traitor by their pursuers let go of her and chanted a weird spell.

"No matter what, you have to keep running once I teleport you. Keep running no matter what. This is your only chance, Vivianne!" She shouted with tears in her eyes as Vivianne was enveloped in light. In that moment weird blackish purple flames hit her and her body started to melt as Vivianne looked at her in horror. Shortly before she was transported away, Vivianne reached for the cloak - the only thing left from the woman - and her last gaze went to an enraged Validar as everything went dark.

"...ne!" She could hear someone's voice calling out to her and it grew louder as she slowly woke up from her slumber.

"Vivi!" Chrom's voice was like a beacon in the darkness and she finally was able to open her eyes. At first she did not understood where she was and her eyes darted around the room until her gaze met Chrom's whose eyes lit up once they saw her and he smiled, his hand grasped for hers.

"You're awake! Finally." He said with a relieved expression. "Wait, I'll go get Lissa."

He got up ran out of the room, Vivianne wanted to stop him but couldn't. A part of her memories returned, and it weren't pleasant ones. Looking to the side she found her cloak hanging on the backrest of a chair, but it wasn't her cloak. It was that woman's who has saved her from Validar and his followers.

A shudder ran through her as she slowly sat up, her body felt much better and most of her injuries seemed to have healed.

Chrom returned with Lissa in tow who showed joy at seeing Vivianne being awake and immediately ran over to her.

"Welcome back, Vivianne! You really scared us, suddenly passing out like that. Everyone was worried about you, you know and Maribelle and I tried to do everything in our powers to save you. But the most worried here was my dear brother who refused to leave your side for even one minute - he did not even slept! And…"

"Lissa, calm down a bit." Chrom chuckled and Lissa pouted in return but checked on Vivianne's injuries before leaving the room again.

"You're quite pale. Are you all right?" Chrom asked worried and Vivianne nodded but then shook her head.

"I… I remembered something… and that…" She stifled a sob, the memories had reminded her how scared she was during that escape and scared of Validar which brought tears to her eyes.

"H-hey. You know, you don't have to tell me if you don't want."

"B-but… I escaped from Validar when I was young… and the woman who has helped me was killed right in front of me… I was all alone..." Vivianne continued to sob and then felt Chrom wrap his arms around her and pulled her into an embrace.

"You don't need to be scared anymore. Validar is gone and won't get you." He raised his hand and stroked over her hair to soothe her but it only made her cry even more. "And you aren't alone anymore. All of the Shepherds are with you, just like me."

"Y-yeah…" She still sobbed and continued to cry for some time in Chrom's arms until she finally calmed down. Realizing she was still in his arms, she pulled away from Chrom's arms and blushed. "Thank you."

"No worries." He showed her a crooked smile. "Do you feel better."

"Y-yes." She felt embarrassed to have been seen crying and sent Chrom away to put on her clothes though touching her coat made her wince.

"I have to cope with it… but at least I have a memory back." She quickly put on the coat and walked outside, noticing that Chrom was waiting for her.

"Uhm… how is Emmeryn?" She asked as they walked down the hall.

"Thanks to your quick reaction she was not harmed. Marth has also left already."

"What a bummer. I would have a liked to chat with her." Vivianne sighed, the face of Marth lingered in her mind. Her face looked familiar to Vivianne though she had no idea why, that woman's face wasn't looking like Marth at all - more like the opposite.

Once they reached the entrance hall Vivianne noticed Emmeryn standing there whose lips moved to a gentle smile as she spotted the tactician. Alongside her were Phila, Lissa and Frederick and all of them approached Vivianne to congratulate on her recovery and Emmeryn took her hands, clasping them tightly and she even told her she would promote her to Grandmaster for her deeds though Vivianne tried to decline.

"How did the whole matter end?" Vivianne then asked and Phila let out an exasperated sigh.

"It will take some time to investigate how the assassination plot got so far. We have no leads at present."

"It was Plegia! I'm sure of it. They'd do anything for the Emblem. Emm, you can't stay here. Come to Ferox when it's safe."

"And leave the people undefended? War is at our borders, Chrom. Do you expect Ylisse to stand against Plegia without a leader? They must know their Exalt stands with them." Emmeryn's brows furrowed as she spoke and looked softly yet sternly at Chrom.

"But if something happens to you? What then?"

"Your Grace, perhaps you might relocate to the eastern palace for the time being? The other kingdoms know nothing of it. You would be safer." Frederick spoke up and Emmeryn looked like she was wavering between two possibilities but did not know which to choose.

"Yes, please. At least that. I can't leave for Ferox with you right in harm's way."

"Hmm… very well." Emmeryn said after a longer pause and Chrom's face immediately lit up.

"Thanks, Emm. I mean it. We'll escort you to the palace before we head north to the border."

They continued to talk for a bit and afterwards Emmeryn told her to follow her and as such Vivianne walked after Emmeryn to a nice and cozy room where a maid served them tea.

"How can I help you, Your Grace?"

"First I want to thank you for your great help during the assassination incident. You proved that you indeed have a great mind and you are a wonderful tactician. So please accept this as a token of gratitude." Emmeryn said and a maid approached them and held new clothes out to Vivianne - new tactician's clothes. "As your old seem to be torn I'd like you to try these and become our Grandmaster."

"But… but that's too much. I just wanted to ensure your safety and…"

"Please, Vivianne. I want you to have these." Emmeryn smiled gently at her and Vivianne then nodded and was led to a clothing room to change the clothes though she insisted on her old coat. The camisole was a similar one to her old and instead of pants she was wearing a three layered skirt and stockings with overknee boots. She also received golden white armor over her shoulders, a chest plate and protection for her legs. It was much more elegant than her last clothes and the fabric felt like silk on her body.

"You look lovely." Emmeryn chuckled when Vivianne emerged from the dressing room and the Grandmaster showed the Exalt a shy smile.

"T-thank you for this gift, Your Grace. And for thinking so far of someone like me."

"Oh, don't you worry about me. It's also a gift to say sorry we have let you fight Validar all on your own since you sustained such injuries."

"There's nothing to apologize for, it was my own decision." Vivianne said as she sat down again and sipped on the tea.

"Vivianne, I'm glad that Chrom can count on a good strategist like you. I hope you listen to my request to stay by his side and keep him safe."

"I would do that even without a personal request from you, Your Grace. He's sometimes too emotional which makes some of his decisions impulsive." Vivianne sighed but Emmeryn only chuckled.

"He had been like that since he was little but I have to say he did become a great man. I am proud to be his sister." Emmeryn had a soft expression when she looked into the distance but then her focus went back to Vivianne. "I'm sure he will find you lovely in your new garb as well."

"Y-you think?" Vivianne asked and nervously put a streak of hair behind her ear when she realized she had been tricked and went bright red. "Uhm… I mean…"

"Oh, you don't need to hesitate talking about your feelings towards my brother. I would be uttermost happy if he were to be with you. You both seem to be the two halves of a whole." Emmeryn chuckled and it made Vivianne only more embarrassed so the Exalt changed the topic and they continued to chat for a while until it was time for Vivianne to return to the Shepherd garnison where the others congratulated her on her recovery and the promotion. She also got to know the two new recruits; a taguel and a sweets-loving thief.

Vivianne looked around where Chrom might be but couldn't find him and so asked Lissa where her brother might be and she replied he's probably in the courtyard and so Vivianne walked over there and found him by the maple grove.

"Chrom?"

He turned around when he heard her call his name and his eyes grew bigger once he saw her clothes.

"You have been promoted. Congratulations." He said with a proud smile on his face and Vivianne blushed, scratching the back of her head.

"Hehe, thank you. But what were you doing here?"

"I remembered how Marth slipped through the hole here and decided to check on it."

"I see. You see, I have looked at the route we are going to take to the secret palace and I would recommend we go there during the day. The Breakneck Pass would be too dangerous to pass otherwise."

"All right, I trust your decision." Chrom looked at her for a moment and then the hole and grabbed her hand. "Do you mind if I show you my favorite place in all of Ylisse?"

"No, of course not." She answered and Chrom smiled brightly when he lead Vivianne through the hole and then ushered her over the streets of Ylisse to a high-lying lookout and held her hand so she wouldn't slip and fall.

"Wow… so beautiful." Vivianne walked over to the railing and leaned forwards, her face beaming in excitement. They were high above Ylisstol and was able to look over the whole city which looked like dipped in colorful lights.

"Indeed it is. This is the spot I used to visit every time when I needed some time to think. It clears my head but today… I just wanted to show you the view."

"Thank you." Vivianne looked over to Chrom and smiled gently at him, Chrom blushed in return but stepped next to her.

"Are you feeling better now?" His question confused her at first until she realized he had been worried about her due to her having remembered such a disturbing memory. Vivianne was touched he tried to reassure her and as such her chest grew warm.

"Thank you." Another happy smile formed on her lips and Chrom rubbed the back of his head, blushing while looking to the other side.

Staring at Chrom Vivianne did finally realize how she felt towards him and her newly discovered emotions made her feel warm. Yes, she was indeed in love with him.


	6. Chapter V

Chapter V

The next morning the Shepherds ventured out to the eastern palace, their journey wouldn't be easy as they had to pass the Breakneck Pass which was said to be too dangerous to walk there but Vivianne hadn't found another way to travel safe from Plegian troops.

However, the plan failed as the Hierarch has betrayed them to Plegia and so were forced to fight against the Plegian soldiers. Vivianne was about to join the fight when Chrom told her to stay back this time as her injuries haven't healed. She tried to reason with the prince but he was too stubborn to listen and so Vivianne reluctantly stayed back and watched her allied fight when another one arrived, a red-headed Pegasus knight with a distressed expression. Vivianne felt like she has met that Pegasus knight but did not remember where from.

"Is that... Gods, Cordelia?!" Phila shouted and almost fell of her steed, Vivianne in turn looked up to her.

"Cordelia?"

"She's one of my knights. Young yet, but quite gifted. But she was stationed on the border… Why…? Oh gods! Could it mean…?" Phila also showed a distressed expression and Vivianne bit on her lower lip. She knew exactly what Phila was thinking but tried not to say it, feeling that it might be like a curse.

Eventually the fighting came to an end and Cordelia arrived next to Phila, Vivianne noticed that she was also crying.

"My Prince! Your Grace! Run as fast as you can! More Plegians are coming, not a half day's march behind you!" She shouted and the discussion began whether Emmeryn should return to the capital. Chrom and Phila were against Emmeryn returning to Ylisstol but the Exalt stayed stubborn and so Emmeryn handed Chrom the halidom's most important treasure – the Fire Emblem.

"You should take some of us with you, Your Grace. A few can make the difference." Vivianne said as Emmeryn was about to climb onto a Pegasus. Emmeryn smiled when she looked at her.

"I understand your worry, but as you said a few can make difference. Stay here with Chrom and protect the Fire Emblem. I will be safe I assure you."

"B-but..."

"I'm glad that Chrom can count on someone like you. Please keep protecting him."

"Uh... I'll do my best, Your Grace." Vivianne answered, perplexed by the sad look on Emmeryn's face and Phila told the Exalt to head back to the capital and so the Shepherds watched the Exalt leave before they continued their journey towards Regna Ferox.

The whole way to Regna Ferox Chrom and Lissa had a grim expression on their faces but Vivianne did understand their worries; she herself had a bad feeling about this all alas the feeling disappeared when she accidentally walked into the bathing tent while Chrom was there and was flustered for the rest of the day as his muscular upper body appeared in her mind almost every second.

Eventually they reached Regna Ferox and told both Khans what has happened.

"B-but she's safe inside the castle, right? Phila and the others will protect her! And Khan Flavia is assembling her best troops as we speak. We'll make it back home in time. I know we will!" Lissa shouted as they were standing in the throne room of Regna Ferox. Chrom did not reply to Lissa and only looked down, Vivianne wanted to tell him that Emmeryn was going to be all right but found no words.

"Chrom? Say something! Say 'Yes of course we will!'" Lissa tugged on Chrom's cape who apparently woke up from his trance.

"...I'm sorry, Lissa. What?"

"Ugh, fine! Nevermind! Let me know when you get out of your own head for a second!" She folded her arms and looked to the side. Vivianne who was standing next to Chrom looked at him and wondered what he was thinking about when Sumia approached them, raised her hand and punched Chrom right in the face shouting "Snap out of it, Captain!" with Viviane stepping back with a perplexed expression. Flavia who has entered the room in that moment broke out laughing.

"OW!" Chrom yelled and stumbled back, his hand on his cheek. "What the hell was that for?!"

"Oh no!... Did I do it wrong? Captain Phila said sometimes a good slap will break someone out of their gloom." Sumia said and looked at her hand. Both Lissa and Vivianne showed an exasperated smile.

"Sumia, when you slap someone, you do it with an open palm." Vivianne said.

"Yeah, you just punched Chrom in the face!" Lissa added.

"Uhm... It's the thought that counts?" Sumia answered nervously but Chrom only glared at her as he kept rubbing his cheek.

"Gods, that seriously hurt..."

"What's wrong, my dear prince? Sometimes love hurts! You're lucky to have strong women like these, and not just dainty flowers about." Vivianne could see her looking over to her for a moment. "In any case, I bring good news. The Feroxi army has finally mobilized. Every last man is itching to fight. I must say, I'm looking forward to savoring a skirmish or two myself."

"Wait, you're coming along?" Chrom let go of his cheek.

"Of course! A khan must have her fun. I'm even bringing my insignificant other."

"Your who?" Vivianne asked with a frown.

"Basilio. The oaf isn't good enough for much, but he might stop a few stray arrows." She was laughing but Vivianne has already shifted her attention to the commotion outside and Basilio bursted into the room.

"Chrom! Good gods, I've been looking for you everywhere!" He shouted and Chrom also turned to look at him.

"Is something wrong?"

"Our scouts have reported back. Dark news, I'm afraid..." Basilio's face grew grim. "Ylisstol has fallen."

"What?!" Chrom shouted and a shocked murmur went along the Shepherds.

"The Plegians captured your Exalt and retreated back across their lines. Gangrel has declared she's to be publicly executed within the moon." Basili said and Vivianne noticed a shudder running through Chrom, though it was Lissa who almost fainted and she quickly grabbed the Cleric by her shoulders.

"Lissa? Lissa!"

"The bastard's not even trying to be subtle anymore." Flavia said with an angry look on her face, making a sound like an angry cat.

"I agree. It's an obvious trap." Vivianne said, still holding Lissa.

"The Mad King knew our scouts would relay this information back. It's clearly a provocation – a hot brand to the buttocks! We should consider our options carefully before jumping to..." He did not even finish the sentence when Chrom shouted to the other Shepherd that they are going to march to Plegia.

"That would be one option." Basilio cleared his throat. "But perhaps we've seen enough royalty waltzing into traps for one war already, no?"

"I don't care if it's a trap. He going to murder my sister!" He shouted with an agonized voice. Vivianne did pity him for the situation as she understood how it felt to be on the verge to lose a sibling – for some reason she understood. Maybe she was in the same position years back.

"Peace, Chrom. Breathe a moment. No one's suggesting we don't act. We're simply saying we should act wisely. We'll need guts and wits in equal measure if we're to save your sister." Flavia sighed heavily and so Vivianne decided to speak up.

"The khans are right. I'll think of something, Chrom. I promise."

"All right, Vivi. I leave it to you to formulate our strategy." His gaze lingered on her and she nodded encouragingly.

"Are you certain you're up to the task, Vivianne? It won't be easy. You hold the Exalt's life in one hand, and all of ours in the other." Flavia seemed to be worried about her but Vivianne smiled.

"A responsibility I do not take lightly. But I am equal to the challenge."

"Haha, you've got stones, at least! I like that!"

"No hesitation, no mincing words... She's either a genius or a fool! I suppose we'll find out once we march. Hold on to your tassets, Ylisseans. We've an Exalt to save!"

The troops stayed in Regna Ferox for a quick preparation and just as Vivianne promised Chrom, she quickly came up with a strategy for their mission and not long later the Shepherds and Feroxi troops headed out towards Plegia.

Unlike Ylisse and Regna Ferox, Plegia's climate was more different and so they had to travel through the desert and on their way there they came across two new allies as well as people Chrom called Grimleal. Hearing the name Grima gave Vivianne goosebumps and she felt sick to the stomach but they kept on going until they reached their destination and erected a temporary camp.

The two Khans, Chrom and Vivianne were standing close to the bonfire and talked when a spy from the Feroxi troops approached them.

"The Exalt is to be executed at the castle on the morrow. I heard it from the king's own lips, sire." He said, addressing Basilio who nodded.

"This is it, then."

"Exactly as you predicted, Vivi." Chrom had an impressed and proud expression on his face but it immediately changed into the serious expression he had been having the entire journey over.

"So far, yes. But tomorrow will be the true test..." Vivianne sighed heavily and felt a pat on her shoulder from Flavia.

"Chin up, there! Show some confidence! It's your thinking that's got us this far. The plan is risky, but only as much it's called for!"

"We'll find a way to see it through, Vivi. This time tomorrow, we'll be swapping stories with Emm on the road home." He smiled at her, but even so Vivianne had the feeling that she overlooked something and the feeling that something bad was going to happen lingered in her heart.

"I hope you're right." She whispered and decided to go to sleep to get ready for tomorrow. As she fell asleep she found herself in familiar surroundings but did not know where she exactly was.

"Master Grima." The familiar voice made her shudder and Validar suddenly appeared out of nowhere, talking to a person with a hooded face. "Exalt Emmeryn is to be put to death on the morrow. Events will soon be back on course."

The hooded figure did not answer and stayed quiet as Validar laughed in spiteful glee.

"Haha, yes. I should have never doubted the truth of your words. The yoke of destiny cannot be cast off! Even as they resist, they write your future with every step. O great one!" He looked to the sky and continued to laugh while he mouth of the hooded figure changed to a faint smile.

"Gaah!" Vivianne jolted awake, her heart beating fast in her chest. She put a hand to her chest and the other one on her forehead, noticing that she was sweating. The next thing she heard were steps and Chrom appeared.

"Vivianne, what's wrong?" Then he saw that she was just sitting there, just woken up and sighed. "Was it a nightmare?"

"Is... that what it was? It must have been..." She shook her head and stood up. "What brings you here, Chrom? Was there something you needed?"

"It is time to march. And we can't start the plan without our master tactician." He replied and put an arm around her shoulders which made her blush and he lead her back to where the others were.

The troops soon reached Plegia's inner courtyard just as Gangrel was holding a speech, Vivianne could see Emmeryn stand on the cliff with a brigand behind her.

"Flavia!" Vivianne shouted and the East-Khan nodded.

"I've got him!" She hurled an axe towards the brigand who was hit in the head, falling off the cliff. Confirming that Emmeryn was safe for now, Vivianne turned to the Shepherds and held out her arm.

"Everyone: NOW!"

The Shepherds ventured out on the battlefield, Chrom and Vivianne running on ahead of them. As they were fighting through enemy lines, they encountered a monk from Ylisse; Libra and a dark mage from Plegia who had a weird expression when she saw Vivianne and so told them she was going to be their new ally much to the prince and tactician's surprise. With the help of the two new allies they managed it to defeat the general and Chrom looked over to Vivianne.

"Vivi! Their wyvern riders have fallen! The skies are clear! I'm giving the signal!" He shouted and Vivianne nodded, Chrom blew in the whistle he had prepared of it and the pegasus knights rushed in. Phila, being ahead of them, screamed for Emmeryn.

However, suddenly archers appeared out of nowhere, with their bows ready on the pegasus knights.

"Risen?!" Vivianne shouted in shock. "Oh gods, no! Chrom! There are Risen everywhere!"

"Damn! Not now!"

The Risen archers readied their bows and shot them towards Phila who was stuck by one through the heart and fell off her Pegasus. Vivianne could hear Emmeryn shout from the cliff. Unable to do anything, Vivianne watched one Pegasus knight fall after another and held her hands to her head.

"No no no..." She gasped, her head was spinning and it felt like her blood was boiling as she watched the events unfold. She had to control herself really hard to not jump towards the tacticians and kill them. She looked over to Gangrel who laughed but he was looking at her, the same did his tactician but with a more unsatisfied expression.

Gangrel held all of them off by positioning the archers on them, threatening to shoot every moment and demanded the Fire Emblem. Vivianne encouraged Chrom to not give up but he was about to give up until Emmeryn's voice rang out from above.

"No, wait!"

"SILENCE!" Gangrel bellowed and yet Emmeryn kept talking.

"King Gangrel, is there hope you will listen to reason?" She asked but Gangrel only lashed out at her and Chrom tried to reason with his sister, Vivianne could see her having tears in her eyes.

"Chrom... Th-thank you. I know what I must do..." She said with a sad smile and an expression of disbelief ran across Chrom's face.

"Emm, what are you..."

"Plegians! I ask that you hear the truth of my words! War will win you nothing but sadness and pain, both inside your borders and out! Free yourselves from the hatred! From this cycle of pain and vengeance. Do what you must... As I will do. See now that one selfless act has the power to change the world!" Emmeryn shouted, addressing the Plegians and looked around. Vivianne had already blanked out any other sounds and watched Emmeryn in horror.

"No reaction... Was I wrong, then? Chrom... This is some torch I'm passing to you. So be it..." She looked over to Chrom and Lissa and her gaze wandered over the Shepherd's faces, lingering on Vivianne's for a moment. "Chrom, Lissa... And all my people... Know that I loved you." With that Emmeryn stepped closer to the edge of the cliff, crying and then she let herself fall. Vivianne felt Chrom dashing past her towards Emmeryn but did not move, she was unable to move. She had no idea what to do anymore – her plan failed – She failed as a tactician.

"Oh gods..." She whispered as the others around her started to scream. Flavia and Basilio had to use their combined strength to hold Chrom back.

"No, boy! I secured an escape route! We have to flee!" Basilio shouted as they managed to calm Chrom down a bit.

"But... her body... I have to..." Chrom pleaded but Basilio shook his head and pushed him towards Vivianne who reluctantly listened.

"You have to run! Now do it! Vivianne!" She raised her head when her name was called. "Don't let him do anything stupid!"

"Y-yeah..." She whispered and grabbed Chrom's wrist, guiding him out of the inner courtyard alongside the other Shepherds.

As they kept running the weather grew worse, the clouds grew thick and dark and it started to rain. Vivianne grabbed for her hood and pulled it over her head to stop the rain from getting in her neck.

"Hurry! There should be carriages waiting just through the ravine... wait, where's Chrom?"

Vivianne looked around in search for the prince but he wasn't there. Fear crept in her heart and she was scared that he might have gotten hurt.

"I saw him running back!" Lissa shouted, still sobbing after watching Emmeryn's sacrifice.

"Ugh, that moron!" Vivianne hissed. "Lissa, go on ahead. I'm going to get him!"

She did not even stay to listen to Lissa and sped the whole way back, gritting her teeth. She wouldn't forgive herself if Chrom were to die during this whole incident. Even the sole thought made her feel pain and she was truly afraid that something might have happened to him.

"Oh gods, please let him be all right..." She sobbed, she remembered Emmeryn's death and the thought of Chrom ending up like that as well brought tears in her eyes.

Finally, she found him crouching in front of Plegian mercenaries and the sight of him all bloody made her incredibly enraged. Her feet moved even faster and she threw Mjölnir at them, incarcerating a dozen of them.

"Uaah!"

"That woman is a monster! Retreat!" The Plegian troops turned around and ran off as Vivianne approached Chrom, not even out of breath.

"Vivi..."

"You idiot!" She shouted in anger and slapped him. "Wake up, Chrom! She has done it to protect us and not to have you risk your life like that! What if you would have died... what if..." She started to sob, even though Chrom was save she still felt fear in her heart and without even hesitating she threw herself in Chrom's arms.

"I thought something has happened to you... I couldn't... If something would have happened to you... I'm glad I arrived in time, thanks the gods." She sniffled. "You idiot..."

"I'm sorry." She heard Chrom say between her sobs and he stroked over her head. He reached out and wiped the tears away. "You are right, I am an idiot. Now come, we have to catch up with the others."

"R-right..." She stuttered as Chrom grabbed her hand and they ran all the way back to the others, not letting go of her hand even once.


	7. Chapter VI

**Chapter VI**

The Shepherds retreated back to Regna Ferox in safety and assembled in the throne room and Vivianne let everything that happened go through her head, once again feeling miserable. She truly has failed as a tactician, Emmeryn's faith in her turned out to be futile and the promotion seemed like an undeserved award for her.

"All of that… for nothing…" She whispered with a small voice, listening to Lissa and others cry over Emmeryn's death.

"I should have died before allowing the Exalt to be captured. I have failed as a knight…!" Frederick said, his thumb and index finger pinching the bridge of his nose.

"So what now, oaf?" Flavia asked Basilio quietly, watching the Shepherds mourning.

"Don't look at me - I'm not in charge!"

"Ugh… I picked a fine time to regain the full throne…"

Vivianne listened in to the conversations, her mouth felt dry but she knew she had to apologize. She promised she would think of a plan to rescue Emmeryn, to save her and her plan turned out to be just a joke. Gangrel and Aversa were a step ahead of her.

"Chrom… I… I'm sorry. My plan just wasn't enough. I failed you as a tactician." She said, looking at him but he only shook his head.

"You did your best, Vivi. You have my thanks. It's my own failures that haunt me now. Gods, I was just so powerless!" He clenched his fist and looked down on it and Vivianne gently put hers over his.

"It's not your fault either, Chrom."

"She did it for me, Vivi. So that I wouldn't have to live with the guilt of either choice, she chose for me… She sacrificed herself rather than give up what could one day save her people…" His voice broke and he looked down, his teeth gritted.

"Chrom… Listen to me. Look at me." Vivianne said and raised her arms, her hands cupping his cheeks to force him to look at her.

"I was powerless once, too, remember? And yes, alone, I don't think either one of us is half the person your sister was. But together… we might be something more. If you fall, I'll be there for you to pull you back up. When you fight for your sister's ideals, I'll be by your side. You don't have to become your sister, you know? You can be still true to yourself. You just have to give people hope on whatever you can." She said with a gentle smile and Chrom stared at her and though it made her feel embarrassed and her heart raced from touching him, she kept her eyes locked with his.

"And what if I can't? What if I'm not worthy of her ideals? Vivi, what if I drag you down with me?"

"If you aren't worthy, you'll keep at it until you are. And if we both fall down, well… that's what friends are for, isn't it?"

It wasn't just Vivianne's encouraging words but also the words of the Shepherds which made Chrom's gloomy expression turn to a brighter one.

"Thank you, everyone." He said turning to them. "Your words mean more than you could know. My Shepherds… My warriors… There is work to be done. Gangrel must be stopped so that peace can once again reign in Ylisse. Will you help me?"

The answer he earned was loud cheering from the Shepherds and they all gave Chrom even more encouraging words.

"Thank you all… Truly." Chrom smiled. "You honor me with your fealty. I will not falter again. We shall answer this outrage! The Mad King must be stopped!"

Olivia, the dancer who has helped them escape, also told Chrom that she would like to join and with Basilio's encouragement, Chrom accepted Olivia among the Shepherds. Basilio even went so far to call Chrom _Commander_.

" _Commander_? What happened to _boy_?"

"You've earned your way up from that name, I think." Basilio laughed. "Now, where were we? Oh yes! I was just about to start cracking skulls! Flavia will lead me and the other Feroxi to a head-on assault. That should buy you enough time to take down Gangrel. Hear that, boy? You get the _fun part!_ "

"I thought you weren't going to call me…" Chrom started, but was immediately interrupted by Basilio.

"You and Vivianne have my every confidence. You're a born leader and she had a knack for guiding troops into victory. You both have some growing to do yet, but I can already see you'll grow tall!"

"Thanks, Basilio." Chrom said and Vivianne nodded.

"All right, enough talk. It's time to raise some hell!"

"Right."

"Let's go to it, then! Gangrel may try to hit us while we're still licking our wounds." Basilio said, leaving the room.

"Let him try. This time I'm ready to dethrone the Mad King. Once and for all."

With that, the Shepherds scattered to prepare for the final battle against Gangrel until only Chrom and Vivianne were left in the throne room.

"What's wrong?" Chrom asked, watching Vivianne who has hung her head.

"Basilio said he has confidence in my skills… but I don't know anymore if I should have confidence in them. My last plan has failed miserably…" She murmured and then felt Chrom's hand grab her and he squeezed it.

"It did not fail and neither did you. You did a great job and your plan would have worked, if not for the Risen. It's the same with a fight, you learn through your losses. I have experienced it so many times before and Emm's loss will also teach me more. Now you know what you can do to make the next plan flawless." He said with a kind smile and Vivianne slowly nodded, she knew he was right and and tried to look more positive even when it was hard.

"You're right."

"I'm glad you understand. Now come, we'll discuss our new plan." He said and kissed the back of her hand which made her heart jump and she blushed.

"Y-yes…"

The Shepherds started their campaign to their final battle against Gangrel the next morning. Vivianne was gripping her tome Orion tightly, this time determined to win. She wouldn't let Gangrel win again.

Chrom next to her was more tense than she was and she did want to comfort and reassure him but found no words.

Eventually they reached the battlefield and Vivianne could see the Mad King among the few Plegian soldiers. There were less soldiers than Vivianne had actually anticipated.

"Milord." Frederick approached Chrom on his horse and both he and Vivianne stopped in their tracks. "I've a report from Khan Flavia. The Plegian army is in disarray."

"What do you mean?" Chrom frowned.

"It seems many of their soldiers are opposed to further violence. There has been infighting, desertion... Gangrel is trying to stamp out the mutiny by force, but with little success. Outside of a few faithful who serve him directly, his army has all but collapsed." Frederick informed them and Vivianne found herself wondering why but Chrom did already answer for her.

"This is incredible news, but why?" He paused. "Emmeryn."

"Yes, Milord. Emmeryn. The report says Gangrel's men chant her name as they abandon the field. Her words, and her sacrifice, have made her a folk hero of sorts."

"Emmeryn... Why did it take me so long to understand? She believed all people desire peace. She knew, deep down, the Plegians wanted it, too. It just took her to bring it to the surface." Chrom smiled, his hand hiding his eyes as he looked up to the sky. Vivianne smiled at his realization, she could see that Chrom was overcoming the events of the last few days, though slowly.

"I hope she can see this, wherever she is... Today we put an end to Mad King Gangrel and bring peace back to the land." Chrom said, pumping his fist and looked over to Vivianne who still kept smiling. "Ready for it, Vivi?"

"Yes."

Chrom turned around to the Shepherds and shouted that the battle has begun before he and Vivianne rushed into the battle ahead of them and aimed at Gangrel. If the enemy's leader falls, the rest of the soldiers would most probably stop fighting.

Their plan was to pair up and fight Gangrel together – as a team as the Mad King tends to fight very dirty and as such two more pairs of eyes were more helpful.

"Good day, my little princeling! Still dreaming of your squashed sister?" Gangrel laughed and eyed Vivianne next to him but Chrom blocked his sight by standing in front of her.

"No more talk, Gangrel. Today you die, and peace returns to Ylisse and Plegia." Chrom hissed which caused Gangrel only to laugh more.

"Pah! Such hypocrisy! You despise me, wretch! You want to cut me down! You don't know the first thing about peace. No man does!"

"I know more than you ever will."

"More than me? More than _me_?!" Gangrel put his hand on his forehead and put his head in his neck. "You _are_ me! When life asks you a question, you answer with blood!"

"Maybe you're right... I will never be my sister. I cannot forgive men like you—men who sow nothing but evil. All I have left are her words, and her memory. Were I alone, I might be driven to madness. ...Or worse. But I'm not alone. My friends and brothers-in-arms stand behind me!" Chrom shouted, raising his arms to point with his palm at the Shepherds fighting Plegian soldiers.

„...Are you done? May I vomit now? Bwa ha ha! What a flowery harangue! Men are beasts! Nothing more! We fight! We kill! We devour our prey! Beasts do not stand behind beasts, little prince... They use each other only so long as it suits their own selfish purpose!"

"Perhaps this explains why your own soldiers refuse to stand behind you? You are a poison. A festering wound. And I will do what my sister could not." Chrom said and put his hand on Falchion, pulling it out of the scabbard.

"Such a clever tongue you have, little prince... It will look quite fetching hanging on my mantle, next to your sister's corpse!" Gangrel took out his sword, looking similar to Vivianne's Levin Sword. He looked at Vivianne who gripped her tome even tighter, feeling a little bit sick after hearing Gangrel's words. "Or maybe I should scar you pretty tactician's face to make you come at me with rage?"

"Don't even try." Chrom said with a composed voice and pounced at Gangrel and the two of them exchanged blows, Vivianne did notice that Gangrel was not a great fighter and tried to find an opening in Chrom's stance and saw him throwing something at Chrom. She reacted faster than the prince and pushed him to the side, catching the shiny object before throwing it high in the air where it exploded. The Mad King then attacked Vivianne but Chrom defended her and the battle continued with Vivianne's magical support.

Vivianne was astonished how much endurance Gangrel had or maybe his insanity just let him fade the pain out, he had such deep wounds from which blood was gushing out and he has lost enough blood for a normal person to die.

In this case the battle would drag on endlessly and the most Plegian soldiers were defeated or fled, only a handful of them were left standing on the battlefield. Vivianne thought about throwing her most powerful spells at Gangrel when she felt her tome heating up and once she looked down, it was glinting and small azure lightnings were encompassing it. A new spell has appeared on the pages, something that happened the last few times and Vivianne had a feeling it only happened when she grew stronger. It was a completely new spell, manipulating a different kind of element than usual.

Vivianne raised her hand and started to gather magical energy in her palm and threw it at the Mad King.

"Lumen!" The light turned into a huge arrow which pierced through Gangrel's upper body and charred his organs and Chrom used the chance to kill Gangrel.

"F-fool of a prince..." Gangrel coughed up blood as he slowly stumbled to the ground. "Your people care... not for you... You are... alone. As every man lives and dies:... alone..." His voice grew quieter until he went entirely silent. He was lying there, his eyes opened but without any sign of life in them. His mouth was distorted into a last maniac grin.

Chrom and Vivianne were gasping, but both of them showed each other a satisfied smile.

Seeing their leader fallen, the rest of the soldiers left the battlefield and a loud cheer echoed from the Shepherd, alongside shouts and singing of their victory. Vivianne giggled hearing her friends being that ecstatic about their victory and Chrom wrapped his arm around Vivianne's shoulders, both of them cheering with them.

"Thank you, Vivi." Chrom said and pulled Vivianne closer to him. "Thanks to your tactics we won."

He was chuckling and Vivianne felt her face getting hotter when she felt his skin against hers.

"Uhm... you're welcome?"

"Heh, right. Now come, let's go meet up with the others." His hand slid down from her shoulder to her hand and he kept holding her hand while they walked back; something that made her feel embarrassed.

After the battle the Shepherds returned back to the camp, all of them agreeing on celebrating and getting their wounds healed. The only ones who stayed behind were the Khans and Chrom and Vivianne. An Ylissean soldier informed then that all the Plegian forces were surrendering en masse so Chrom ordered him to order the Ylissean forces to cease fighting.

"Then it's finished." Flavia chuckled, playing with her sword in her hand. "Once their messenger delivers out terms, that's it. We put an end to this bloody business, once and for all."

"We've won..." Chrom went quiet for a moment. "...Somehow I don't feel like celebrating."

"Victory can be bitter as well as sweet, boy." Basilio sighed. "It's good you learn that now.

"Regna Ferox has lost many good soldiers today. We need to see our dead. Then it's time to attend to the living and rebuild our army."

"I'm sorry, Flavia. Your sacrifice will not be forgotten. Ylisse will compensate your nation in whatever fashion..." Chrom started and Flavia immediately interrupted him.

"Oh? In that case, how about you hand over the Fire Emblem and we'll call it even?" She laughed but Chrom glared at her. "Just a little Feroxi humor. Don't worry about our finances, Chrom. Reparations will fall to Plegia, and I've seen their treasury. They can well afford it."

"Yes, pity the man who stands between Flavia and a full coffer, boy!" Basilio laughed and held his stomach but Chrom only smirked.

"Heh, I'll have to remember that when you come to visit Ylisstol."

The two of them left towards their own troops to look for the dead but Basilio made them promise to drink with him and Flavia later.

"I'm glad it's over." Vivianne nodded and put her hand on her hip. She noticed Chrom nodding but he looked lost in thoughts and though she was curious she decided to return to camp. She just turned around when Chrom called out to her.

"Vivianne?"

"Yes?" She stopped in her tracks and looked over to him.

"I...I have to apologize. This was not your war to fight."

"But I chose to fight it. I have chosen to follow you and be by your side, remember? I did it because without you, I'd have no idea what to do. You gave me a home, a reason to live." She smiled softly, watching the handsome man in front of her. Back then she would have never thought she would ever fall in love with Chrom which only strengthened her loyalty towards him.

"Vivi…" He muttered with a touched expression and Vivianne soon found herself wrapped in his arms, pressed to his strong chest. She winced at the feeling of his warmth and scent surrounding her. He had a nice scent and the realization he hugged her made her heart go overdrive and her face flushed. She had to fight back cuddling against him. He was the army's general - a prince - she couldn't be with him neither should she have romantic feelings towards him and yet she couldn't stop her affection from growing and she sometimes found herself hoping, hoping he might feel the same.

"Vivianne, there's something I'd like to say." He then whispered and she turned her head up to look at him, his expression was serious even though he blushed.

"G-go ahead."

"Well… uhm… you see, during all this time I was just focused on stopping Gangrel, no matter what. Even my own life would not have been too high a price to pay." He frowned but Vivianne shook her head and raised her arm - though it was tricky with his arms around her - and she cupped his cheek with her hand.

"It would have been for us!" She scolded, pausing for a moment. "...And for me."

"I've also been thinking a lot about everything, Vivianne. About you as well. We have known each other for quite some time now and we are always fighting side by side. At first I thought of you as a comrade, later as my best friend. But you are more than that, you're a special woman… and I have thought if… you know, you think more of me as your leader?"

His blush went down to his neck and yet his expression stayed serious, patiently waiting for her answer, and Vivianne found herself hoping. Hoping he might reciprocate her feelings. However, she was afraid she might say something she'd regret and ruin their friendship and receive a rejection so she answered vaguely.

"I think of you as a great man…" She smiled. "And… dear to my heart."

She watched his face, his eyes have grown wider for a moment but then his lips broke in an excited smile, his arms growing tighter around her.

"Vivianne, I've tried to keep this bottled up but I can't do this anymore. My sister always followed her heart, so now I'm going to follow mine." He cleared his throat when his arms slid off her and his hand grabbed Vivianne's. "We met under unusual circumstances, but lives have been made from far less. And uhm… what I want to ask… to say… er…" He took a deep breath and knelt down on one knee in front of her, still holding her hand and it seemed like the time has stopped, everything around them disappeared. "You are the wind at my back and the sword at my side, Vivianne. I love you. Will you grant me the honor to marry you?"

Vivianne stared at Chrom for a moment, unable to say anything but she felt his hand holding hers tremble. Her eyes teared up in joy and she cupped her mouth with her hand.

"...Yes…" She sobbed, unable to hold back her emotions and smiled while crying. "Yes, I'll marry you."

Chrom smiled at her in glee, kissing the top of her hand as he slipped on a golden ring with the crest of the Ylissean royal family on her left ring finger. Vivianne looked at it for a moment and just couldn't hold back anymore and threw herself in his arms so that Chrom had to catch her and he fell back, Vivianne kneeling between his legs and her arms around his neck.

"I love you, too. I love you so much." She sobbed, her words almost incomprehensible and Chrom laughed, wiping the tears from her cheeks, his other arm around her.

"With a word you've made me the happiest man in all the realm. I never want to let you go, Vivi. Does that make me selfish?" He asked after Vivianne calmed down.

"If so, then let me be selfish, too. I would be with you, always." She grinned and felt Chrom cup her cheek and their faces drew closer, their lips meeting in a long kiss, almost as if their lips were yearning for each other and it filled Vivianne with a sense of fulfillment, knowing that the handsome man before her was reciprocating her feelings. After a while they pulled away from each other, though reluctantly.

"I'll need to ask for a bit of patience for the near future. My first duty must be to heal the scars of war and assume my role for the people. But then, we can begin our life together. My love, we shall build a peaceful world together… Just you and me…"

"That's all right. I'm a tactician, remember? I'll figure something out." She replied, cuddling against him.

"Thank you." Chrom kissed her cheek and leaned in to kiss her.

"I can't help but think about the day we have met. It's strange how fate brought us together. I can't even imagine anymore how things would have turned out if you wouldn't have found me. I am a lucky woman to have met you, and luckier still now." She told him after their kiss and Chrom reached out to wipe some lost hair strands out of her face.

"I know together we can bring joy back to the royal palace. I'll do everything to make the castle a happy home for us… my love." He kissed the top of her head and Vivianne giggled.

"My love." She cupped his cheeks and pulled him in for a kiss, this time being the one initiating it.

The two of them returned afterwards to the camp where they were congratulated which surprised both at first until Lissa told them that they have witnessed the proposal and Vivianne's face grew bright red imagining them spying on them. Yet the Shepherds continued to celebrate their victory and Chrom and Vivianne's engagement deep into the night.

And so the war between Ylisse and Plegia was ended. Chrom and Viviane worked tirelessly to restore Ylisse. This would be no easy task, for the war had taken a heavy toll on the halidom. But with Feroxi muscle and Plegian gold, they brought peace back to the people. Even so, Chrom's subjects grew eager for the prince to take a wife and so the engagement between Chrom and Vivianne was announced.

The royal wedding was a joyous occasion, attended by thousands from near and far and the royal couple was crowned King and Queen of Ylisse on their wedding day.

"Give me your hand." Chrom said, smiling at Vivianne. He looked at her over his shoulder, his hand reached out to her. Vivianne raised the hem of her wedding dress which was clearly beautiful and divine. It gave off the impression of being translucent, one could see the silhouettes of her legs. It was a sleeveless dress, the sleeves were separated from the dress and the skirt looked slightly like wings. Her veil was already taken off, only a blue rose with white lace remained in her hair which was decorated with many little white flowers.

Chrom helped his new wife step onto the main balcony and she fidgeted.

"I'm a little bit nervous…"

"Don't be. The people just want to see and greet their new queen. And I want to show off my beautiful wife." Chrom encouraged her, himself looking regal in his king garb and Vivianne nodded, blushing at his words. Taking a deep breath they stepped closer to the railing with their arms linked together and the mass of people took away the new queen's breath still she raised her hand to wave towards her people alongside her husband. She could feel Chrom wrap his arm around her waist and she looked up to him, his lips descending on hers which made the people cheer even more and Vivianne's face grew bright red out of embarrassment to have kissed in the public. Chrom only chuckled and held her hand, intertwining their fingers.

"Let's go, my beautiful wife. The carriage waits for us in the courtyard. Let me show you off to the people."

He tugged on her arm and then scooped her up into his arms though Vivianne protested and wrapped her arms around his neck. Chrom carried his wife down the stairs to the carriage, both of them going to enjoy the rest of the day.

Finally, it seemed that the last lingering wounds of Ylisse's history had healed.


	8. Chapter VII

**Chapter VII**

Sitting under the maple grove in the courtyard of Ylisstol's palace Vivianne giggled quietly to herself when she remembered her wedding day and looked down at her hand, at the golden ring in which small diamonds were embedded.

Even without her memories, she still knew that it had been the most happy occasion for her and she stayed happy until the present day and knew he will stay happy in the future, with her husband and friends by her side.

She closed her eyes and leaned back against the tree trunk, a content expression on her face as she heard footsteps. Vivianne did not need to open her eyes to know who it was and suppressed a grin the moment Chrom kissed her cheek.

"I'm back, my love." He chuckled. "It seems like I have kissed you awake."

"You did." She smirked lovingly and opened her eyes to see her handsome husband's face right in front of her and he sat down next to her. Vivianne shifted to sit closer to Chrom and he helped her, leaning her head against his shoulder and wrapped one arm around her. "Welcome back. How did the training go?"

"The new recruits are quite eager. And just like Frederick said, that's a good sign. I also checked on Sumia and Cordelia; they are doing a good work in training the new Pegasus knights." He stroked over Vivianne's head.

"I was surprised that Gaius volunteered to train the Ylissean spies." Vivianne chuckled but Chrom only let out an exasperated sigh.

"He wanted sweets as a payment for that. I wonder how much he trains to stay fit." Chrom answered and looked down at her stomach and then up to her eyes again, his cobalt ones filled with worry.

"Are you all right? You shouldn't be sitting on the ground, it still hasn't warmed up at this time of year."

"Don't worry, I'm sitting on a blanket." She patted the ground next to her, showing him a corner of the blanket.

"That's good. You know I worry as the baby can come any day now." Chrom put his hand on her enlarged belly, the baby within was moving around like it was dancing.

"You made enough precautions for the birth, my love." Vivianne patted her husband's cheek and snuggled against him.

"But I'm still not sure if I really ensured that everything will do smoothly. And you can barely move so I worry even more when I'm not around you." Chrom once again started to fuss over her, something he has done the last nine months.

Not long after their marriage the royal couple found out that they were expecting a child and Chrom has started to fuss over Vivianne since then. He refused her to go anywhere alone and went as far as carry her down the stairs and he did not let her carry a single book as he feared it might be too heavy. He watched over her every movement since they discovered they were to be parents, and though Vivianne was annoyed at first, she somehow loved the extra attention her husband was giving her.

"Have you decided on a name?" Vivianne then asked and looked at Chrom who scratched his head and looked up to the sky.

"I'm still not entirely sure. I was thinking about several names, but couldn't decide on one."

"Which one did you like most?"

"Lucina."

"Ooh, I like that one!" Vivianne clasped her hands together and beamed at Chrom, her brown eyes sparkling.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes! It has a nice ring to it and the name is really nice for a girl." She answered with a gentle smile, her hand moving down to her belly. The baby was more lively during the past few days and Vivianne wondered why. The doctor did say that the child will move around more as it will try to go into the right position for the birth but it doesn't felt like it was turning around but rather that it was dancing wildly, flailing with arms and feet. Vivianne did not mind it during the day, but in the night it was weird to try falling asleep while the child was moving.

"I thought you like Morgan."

"Yes, but for a boy. But I have the feeling that the baby is going to be a girl. I can't describe it, it's an intuition. And since we decided that you're going to name the baby if it's a girl, we just settled on Lucina." She replied and looked at her left hand resting on her belly, the wedding ring gleaming in the rays of the setting sun. "I can't believe it's been almost two years since our victory against Gangrel."

"Time sure flies. When I met you, I wouldn't have thought I'll be married to you two years later and that you are going to have my child."

"Me neither. But I'm sad I couldn't recover more of my lost memories than this disturbing one." She sighed and Chrom wrapped his arms around her, mindful of her condition.

"I know you feel burdened because you have no memories, but I told you that you don't need to remember to be my wife. I love you for who you are and not for your memory." He whispered in a low reassuring tone, his lips stroking over her ear which caused her to blush faintly.

"Chrom, not in the public."

"Hey, I am allowed to show my wife some affection wherever I am." He chuckled and a shadow appeared above them. Chrom and Vivianne looked up at the same time, seeing Frederick loom over them.

"Milord, there is someone who needs to see you." He said with his usual stern expression.

"Ugh, can't it be postponed?"

"No, it is uttermost important." Frederick answered and Chrom sighed, sitting up. Vivianne asked him to help her up as she wanted to visit the female warriors of the Shepherds in the garnison and Chrom told Frederick to accompany Vivianne there as he was scared she might trip and fall when walking down the stairs.

"Very well, Milord. I will accompany Milady."

"Chrom, it is not needed. I'm not that weak and especially not that clumsy." Vivianne glared at him but Chrom shook his head.

"No, I don't want to risk anything. Take care and let a servant come to me if you have anything to tell me. And don't run. When you walk, try to…"

"Chrom." Vivianne groaned. "It's all right. Now go, you have a visitor."

"Fine." He answered, giving Vivianne a kiss on the cheek and then rushed back towards the palace. Vivianne watched him leave and then turned to walk to the Shepherd garnison, with Frederick in tow. Thinking about her friends made Vivianne smile, Chrom and her weren't the only ones who have gotten married as many of the Shepherds have found their partners among their allies and tied the knot.

Lissa had surprised Chrom and Vivianne the most, around two months after they got married she announced to her elder brother that she's going to marry Lon'qu and though the king was not pleased to hear it, he gave them his blessings and the two of them got married three weeks ago. Right now they were still living in Ylisse but they wanted to eventually move to Regna Ferox though Chrom was against it at first but then reluctantly agreed to let his sister go after Vivianne explained to him that it has many positive sides that Lissa was married with a high standing Feroxi. On the other hand, Frederick has somehow managed to win Maribelle's heart and the two of them are preparing for their own wedding. Apparently the Duke of Themis was very fond of his future son-in-law as Vivianne has heard from several gossip-loving nobles in Ylisse.

"Milady, give me your hand." Frederick said as they reached the stairs.

"Not you too, Frederick."

"I told Milord I'll watch out for you, Milady. I can't break that promise." He answered and stubbornly held out his hand. Vivianne knew he wouldn't move away and won't let her go further if she wouldn't listen and so she let Frederick help her and she continued her way to the garnison.

"Hello." She said as Frederick opened her the door to which she once again complained and saw a few of her friends there, merrily talking to each other. She could hear some of them training and when she passed a quiet corner she saw Olivia practice her dancing and stopped to watch a bit.

"Tralala…" Olivia made a pirouette and stopped like struck by lightning when she saw Vivianne watching her. "Oh… uh… Vivianne…"

"That was a nice dance, Olivia. Is it a new one?"

"Uhm… yes. It's the Swan Princess. I usually dance to Donny's singing but he's out training right now." Olivia shyly said, her cheeks blushing. "H-how are y-you feeling?"

"Very good. I'm just not allowed to move around too much and I'm sitting around in the palace for two months."

"I-I guess Milord's only worried about you." Olivia replied and Vivianne heard commotion from further in the building. She could hear something rattle and Sumia screamed while Vaike laughed. The two women headed over there and found Sumia buried under something like a net and several weapons. Vaike was laughing about it and Gaius tried to help Sumia out of her trap.

"Come on, Stumbles. Stop moving around so much."

"Ugh... this is so humiliating…" Sumia sobbed.

"Vivianne, you are here." Miriel approached Vivianne with a serious expression. "I have something I need to ask you."

"Miriel, please remember that Milady can't do any heavy work in her state." Frederick told Miriel who pushed her glasses back.

"I completely understand. Now please follow me, Vivianne." Miriel said and Vivianne nodded, walking once again with Frederick in tow towards Miriel's laboratory and met Cordelia and Panne on the way.

Vivianne disliked that her friends were handling her with kid gloves, she understood they were worried that something might happen to her and the child but she doesn't felt like they are seeing her as just Vivianne but rather Pregnant Vivianne.

Feeling slight pain in her back made her wince but as she experienced back pain simply from being pregnant she did not really thought about it. She went to help Miriel, stayed with her friends for dinner and her husband eventually joined them and they went to bed like usual.

In the next morning Vivianne felt funny and sore, her body felt heavier than usual.

"What's wrong?" Chrom asked as he watched Vivianne moving.

"Nothing, just feeling a little bit funny." She answered and he immediately walked around the bed to be next to her.

"Is something with the baby?"

"No. Not the baby. I think I'm just exhausted."

"Then please lay down again." Chrom forced Vivianne to sit when she was about to get up and she laid down, Chrom pulled the covers over her. She even hadn't enough strength left to refuse. He kissed her and told her he'll come by later before leaving the room. At first Vivianne couldn't fall asleep so she thought about her baby and eventually went back to slumber.

It felt like she had been sleeping for a few minutes when intense pain woke her up. Vivianne jolted awake and was about to sit up when another pain shot through her, the source seemed to be her belly.

"T-the baby…?!" She gasped with one eye closed when she tried to sit up. Her legs felt cold and she understood what has happened, fear gripped her heart. "Ugh… how should I…?"

She tried to get out of the bed but couldn't, the intense pain was making her feel weak and Vivianne gripped the sheets tightly.

"Ugh… I can't…" She started to sob, unable to hold back tears which spilled over her cheeks. She was afraid of being alone while giving birth as not even the midwife was here and before she knew it Vivianne started to desperately scream for her husband.

Loud steps echoed from the hallway and a moment later the door was forcefully opened, Chrom standing in the doorway.

"Vivi!" He shouted and ran over to her side without even wasting a second, taking her hand in his. "Is the child coming?"

"Y-yes…" Vivianne gritted her teeth, squeezing Chrom's hand as another wave of pain shot through her body. "P-please stay with me…"

"I will, don't worry. The midwife is going to be here soon." He said, his both hands holding hers as two women rushed in after being informed by a servant; the midwife and her assistant. They helped Vivianne get ready for the birth and the pause between the contradictions grew shorter and Chrom kneeling next to the bed started to have an expression similar to a person shortly before a panic attack, yet he stayed calm to not stress Vivianne.

The pain grew even worse and she squeezed Chrom's hand relentlessly but he did not show any sign that it hurt him, only stroking over her forehead to wipe the sweat and hair away.

The pain made Vivianne feel scared, she was scared that she wouldn't have a safe birth and that her baby will be in danger. It threw her feelings into an abyss of despair as she imagined that she might not be able to birth her child. She started crying and sobbed loudly.

"I-is everything all right, Vivi?" Chrom stroked over her cheeks to wipe away the tears yet he looked panicked, her tears alarmed him.

"I-I'm scared. I'm scared, Chrom." She whispered and looked at him, her eyes filled with worry and pain.

"Don't be, it's going to be all right. Just a little bit more and we'll see our child." He said. "I'm by your side, don't be afraid. I'm not going to let you go through all of this all alone."

"Y-yes…" Vivianne breathed out and a after some more hours - Vivianne has already lost count how many have passed - she heard the high-pitched cry of a baby.

"It's a girl!"

"I knew it…" Vivianne smiled and let her head fall back onto the pillow, trying to calm her breath as the pain faded again. She was exhausted and tired, but she wanted to see her baby's face. Turning her head she peered at Chrom who looked proudly at her and raised her hand which he was still holding and kissed her knuckles.

"You did great." He pressed her hand against his cheek, his eyes gleaming with pride, and Vivianne nodded, she patiently waited for the midwife to finish her work and then the midwife called out to Vivianne.

"Would you like to see your daughter, Your Grace?"

"Yes…" Vivianne said, a feeling of anticipation in her heart. She glanced over to Chrom. "You can hold her first, love."

Chrom's eyes widen and he looked unsure but Vivianne encouraged him to take the child first so the king let go of her hand and stood up from his kneeling position, taking the baby clumsily into his arms all the while the midwife instructed him how to hold the child.

"Lucina…" He whispered looking at the little girl. She was fast asleep, and he could see cobalt hair peeking out from under the part of the blanket which covered her head. Vivianne could see his arms starting to tremble and Chrom teared up, which was a rare sight.

"H-hey… Hello there, little princess…" He stuttered, cuddling Lucina against him. Chrom tried to suppress crying but it did not work and a lone tear of joy ran down his cheek, he himself was smiling happily but his face showed all kinds of emotion, he probably did not know how to feel now.

Vivianne watched her husband the entire time, seated in the bed where the sheets had been changed by some maids and she herself was in new clothes and leaned against a pillow which supported her. Seeing her husband like that made her tear up as well and Chrom sniffed, walking over to Vivianne. He sat down sideways on the mattress next to her so Vivianne could look at Lucina. She truly did look like her father, though some facial features reminded Vivianne of someone but she did not know of whom nor did she cared at this moment. She reached out and touched her daughter's small fingers and she immediately wrapped her small digits around Vivianne's index finger.

"She… she is so cute…" Vivianne started to sob, tears spilled over her cheeks and she took Lucina carefully into her arms, her sight blurry from tears when she kissed her daughter's forehead. Lucina smelled really nice and Vivianne found herself basking in the happiness of seeing her newborn child altogether with her husband.

The next morning the news of the newborn princess reached the common folk in all of Ylisse, the news spread like wildfire. People came to the capital to cheer for the royal couple's firstborn; Princess Lucina.

"Heh, look how many are cheering for you." Vivianne said, holding a nicely dressed Lucina in her arms, wrapped in a lacy blanket. After waking up this morning, the midwife showed Vivianne how to change a baby from the diaper and clothes and how to feed Lucina, they did asked her why she wouldn't let a wet nurse care for Lucina but Vivianne preferred to raise her child on her own. She wanted to have a very close bond to her child and she feared that this might not be the case if she wouldn't be raising her daughter.

Lucina immediately fell asleep after having been fed and the midwife told Vivianne that it was normal for newborns to sleep a lot so Vivianne wasn't worried about that.

"Are you all right?" She heard Chrom's voice from behind her and turned around, smiling.

"Still a little bit exhausted from yesterday, but I'm fine." She answered and looked down at Lucina in her arms as Chrom approached her and put his hands on her shoulders, looking at their daughter.

"She's sleeping so peacefully."

"Yes, she looks like an angel." Vivianne chuckled and rocked Lucina softly in her arms. "By the way, have you been close yesterday when I was screaming for you?"

"Yes, I was about to visit you and it seemed to have been a good idea. I'm sorry I haven't been by your side when it started, my love."

"Please, don't worry about it. I was just happy when you bursted into the room. Like a real hero." She replied and leaned her head against his shoulder.

"I still can't believe she's here already. The day before yesterday it seemed that the birth was further in the future and yet the weight in my arms tell me it's real." She whispered and Chrom reached out to carefully put his hand on Lucina's little hand. The princess has woken up in the meantime and stared intently at her parents. Vivianne gasped when she saw a certain brand in her left eye.

"Chrom, look! Her eye!"

The two of them looked more properly at Lucina whose lips moved into something akin to a smile, her eyes sparkling in the same cobalt as Chrom's.

"The Brand of the Exalt…" Chrom whispered. "She's only a day old and yet it already showed itself…"

"I assume it's unusual to show this early?"

"Indeed it is. But it's a good sign. This means she has Naga's blessings." Chrom smiled at Lucina and the baby smiled back, she seemed to enjoy the attention of her parents.

"I guess she's going to be a great Exalt in the future then…" Vivianne held Lucina tighter in her arms and Chrom nodded.

"Yes. And we shall introduce her to our people soon." He leaned in to plant a kiss on the top of his daughter's head. "But first let's go and have her meet our friends."

The two of them headed out to the Shepherd garnison, Chrom supported Vivianne as she walked – probably out of fear that she's still too weak after the birth and might collapse.

However, Vivianne felt great and proud to be able to hold her daughter, she was happy Lucina was born a healthy baby without any complications.

Their friends and allies showed joy and excitement upon meeting the young princess and just like her parents, the Shepherds found the baby adorable and almost all of the women begged Vivianne to let them hold Lucina who frowned when Cordelia took her in her arms. Apparently, Lucina did not liked to be reached around as she soon started to cry and immediately calmed down once she was back in her mother's arms which made Vivianne laugh.

Looking down at her daughter's face, Vivianne grew determined to give Lucina a happy future, she doesn't wanted her child to be missing something in her life. Thinking about it made Vivianne feel uncomfortable and she had a feeling that it had something to do with her own childhood. Shaking off the thought she continued chatting with her friends, Lucina babbling in her arms.


	9. Chapter VIII

**Chapter VIII**

A few weeks have passed since Lucina's birth and the royal couple has managed to introduce her to the public though the baby princess did not notice it as she slept the entire event over, only waking up once to be fed.

"In a few years she's going to run around here." Vivianne said to Chrom who was accompanying her on her usual walk with Lucina in the palace gardens. She could imagine a small Lucina happily romping around in the courtyard and found herself looking forwards to it.

"I can imagine it." Chrom laughed and Lucina joined in, she was biting her fingers and smiled and though Chrom did pull them out of her mouth, they ended up back between her lips. Vivianne loved watching her baby girl smiling and could watch her forever.

"But I would not like her to grow up as an only child. I can imagine it's quite lonely."

"So you thought about having more children?" Chrom had a surprised expression on his face and Vivianne felt her face grow hot.

"M-maybe." She pouted at Chrom's chuckles and he leaned down to kiss her cheek.

The couple continued their walk when suddenly a servant rushed over to them.

"Sire, a messenger from Regna Ferox wishes to speak with you."

"Regna Ferox...?" Chrom looked to Vivianne who shrugged and then back at the servant. "See them in at once."

"As you wish." The servant bowed and walked off again while the royal couple returned to the throne room where Frederick and Lissa were, waiting for them. They did not need to wait for a long time as Raimi walked in a few seconds later, her expression grim. She explained to them that the Conqueror who has taken over Valm had started to attack Regna Ferox and Flavia sent her to ask for support. Chrom agreed on seeing Flavia at once and turned to look at Vivianne.

"Chrom..."

"I know what you're thinking, Vivi, but we owe Regna Ferox a great debt. I must apprise myself of the facts before deciding on a course of action." He had a serious expression and Vivianne shook her head.

"Nope, not what I was thinking. They seek our help and we shall give it. I just wanted to say is we can discuss our strategy as we travel."

"We...?" Chrom hesitated, his eyes grew wide. "B-but Lucina is a newborn! She needs her mother."

He stepped closer to his wife and daughter, putting his hand softly on the baby in Vivianne's arms and Lucina smiled at her father, her eyes sparkling as she gripped his little finger.

"You told me the House of Ylisse has a tradition of wet-nursing and you and Lissa turned out great from where I am standing. Lucina is a strong child; she takes after her father. The Brand in her left eye proves it." Vivianne replied but Chrom only frowned and still looked hesitant.

"I'm not just worried about her. I'd worry about you as well."

"All the more reason to keep me close at hand, no? Together we can be more than we can alone, remember? Besides, I wouldn't feel good staying behind. I would be beyond me with worry. And you are the one who said we are two halves of a whole." She stayed headstrong, almost desperately begging to let her come with him. The thought of him heading out alone made Vivianne feel sick and she knew she wouldn't be able to rest for a moment not knowing what was happening to her husband.

"Aw, let her come, Chrom!" Lissa joined the conversation, having stayed quiet almost the whole time and now decided to aid her sister-in-law. "You could use her strategic thinking anyway."

Chrom looked at his younger sister, then at his wife and eventually at his daughter. Vivianne could see he was pondering whether to take her along and sighed.

"All right, Vivi. Just promise to stay safe. Lissa and I had Emm, but we lost our parents early. I want Lucina to grow up with her whole family around her."

"As do I, believe me." She smiled at him to soothe his worries, glad that he agreed on her coming along. Chrom turned to Frederick and told him to make the Shepherds prepare for heading out to a battle and with a bow the Great Knight of Ylisse left the room.

"My, you have really came far from a man I thought was tending sheep. You have grown – as a leader and a father."

"What should I do? Emmeryn left a weighty legacy and I plan to live up to it." He watched how Lucina's eyes set on the golden ring on his ring finger. "I wish we could take her along, I fear something might happen to her if we're not here."

"I wish the same, but it's safer for her to be here, in the palace. And we'll have something to look forwards to, when we come home." She reassured Chrom and put her hand on his arm, stepping closer.

"You're right."

In the evening, the Shepherds headed out to Regna Ferox and though it was a serious matter, Vivianne was quite excited that they once again went on a journey together but her thoughts stayed at the castle, with her daughter. Lost in thoughts, she almost stumbled several times and Chrom caught his wife every time and told her that she shouldn't be worried since he has told their most competent guards to protect Lucina.

Soon they reached Regna Ferox and both Flavia and Basilio let them know what has happened, the Valmese forces have laid siege on the Feroxi port and were to advance east towards Regna Ferox. Vivianne requested Flavia to tell her about the harbor and how it was constructed so she could come up with a strategy as Virion and his servant Cherche told them about Valm and the soldiers and so Vivianne eventually came up with a tactic which would secure their victory. In the past two years, Vivianne has worked and studied a lot to become a great tactician.

Indeed, her strategy did work out but Vivianne was surprised how powerful the Valmese forces were. They were not like Plegian soldiers, the warriors did knew what they were doing. But the thing which shocked her most was that even the finest Feroxi warriors were no match for the Valmese ones.

The battle ended with Chrom defeating their commander and the royal couple met up with both khans and Frederick on the battlefield.

"Their power is amazing. I can't believe it's just the vanguard." Vivianne gasped, gripping her tome in her hands.

"Yes, and only a taste of the meal yet to come." Flavia made an expression like she bit in a sour apple.

"And once it arrives, their host will wash over the whole continent in weeks. There's no way we could repel them and defend our people. It would be a slaughter." Basilio made a similar expression to Flavia.

"Ylisse is no better equipped to handle an attack from the sea..." Chrom sighed and turned to look at his wife who was rubbing her chin as she thought. "Vivi, what do you suggest?"

"Their greatest strength is their cavalry, which puts us at a disadvantage..." She muttered, remembering the Valmese forces' strength during the battle earlier. "But only on land. If we were to catch them at _sea_..."

"But how?! Ylisse has no warship, nor does Ferox."

"So we'd need aid from a kingdom that does..." Basilio rubbed with his hand over his scalp. "Perhaps a land that borders the sea, with enough wealth to afford this campaign?"

Vivianne immediately knew which one he meant and though she wasn't really happy about it, she considered it a good idea.

"Plegia!"

"No! Absolutely not. Out of the question." Chrom shook his head with an angered expression and Vivianne put her hand on his upper arm.

"They have gold, boy! Countless ships!"

"The oaf is right... crude, but right." Flavia added to Basilio's words. "There's only one path forward."

"Chrom, will you reconsider?" Vivianne asked and looked up to Chrom who returned her gaze and stared at her for a moment. His wife could see he was pondering about the option so she waited for him to speak up.

"Very well. Send a messenger and request a meeting immediately. Let us pray the new king is more reasonable than their last."

"Indeed." Vivianne nodded as the group turned to leave the battlefield and felt an arm on her shoulder, Flavia grinned at her.

"You know, Vivianne... For your first time against Valmese forces, that was an impressive victory. You and Chrom have both grown quite adept. You should be proud."

"Heh, thank you." Vivianne chuckled and she continued to chat with the East-Khan.

Once they reached their camp they started to pick up their things and Vivianne noticed Chrom breaking a chest and she walked over to him.

"Chrom, I know you don't like the idea, but please stop pouting - and breaking things. I don't like that idea either." She cupped his cheek with her hand and Chrom shook his head, still looking grim and put his hand over hers.

"I... It's just hard to consider it... seeing what has happened two years ago." He gritted his teeth. "Just watch out, Vivi. I don't want to see you hurt."

"Don't worry. And you stay safe, too." She smiled at him and they kissed shortly.

After a day's worth of traveling, the Shepherds eventually reached Plegia and were led into the throne room. Standing there Vivianne started to feel uncomfortable, she also got goosebumps.

Soon, Aversa arrived and with her someone Vivianne believed as dead.

Seeing Validar's face made her feel like she dived into ice cold water and pure rage swept through her. Chrom had to put his hand on her shoulder to calm her. He tried to make quick negotiations with Validar while hiding Vivianne from his sight as he showed interest in her. When they tried to finish the conversation, Aversa spoke up.

"Oh, so soon? But I have one more introduction to make."

"Yes? And who would that be?" Chrom asked in an annoyed voice, his hand slid down to grip Vivianne's.

"A hierophant." Validar replied. "The highest of her order in all Plegia."

Just as Validar was speaking, a figure appeared in similar robes to Vivianne before she was promoted to Grandmaster. The mysterious person was a woman and hid her face with the hood of her coat.

"So you lead the people in worship...?" Vivianne asked and looked at the figure who seemed to stare back at her. Vivianne felt like something bad was going to happen but tried her best to stay calm. "We were just discussing religion earlier..."

The person did not answer and so Vivianne wondered what was going on.

"I'm sorry, have I said something to offend you?"

"The heart still sleeps, but something is wrong. There is absolutely no connection. That's not _the_ power I feel..." The person answered and Vivianne tilted her head in confusion.

"Huh? I beg your pardon, were you talking to me?" She asked and then Frederick spoke up, asking the hierophant to reveal her face and said person sighed. This was when Vivianne noticed that their voices were very similar.

"You are a long way from Ylisse, sir... But very well..." The hierophant grabbed the hood and pulled it down, revealing her face which looked exactly like Vivianne's. Both the royal couple and Frederick gasped in shock.

"Is that better?"

Vivianne was stared intently at the hierophant who looked exactly like her. She was searching for differences and noticed that she did not have Vivianne's brown eyes but bright purple and her expression was a sneer.

"She looks just like me..." Vivianne gasped, her eyes widen in shock and the hierophant chuckled.

"My name is Vivianne... but that's your name as well, no? What a surprising coincidence."

"What... what does that mean?! Why does your hierophant and my wife..."

But Validar interrupted Chrom and they had to leave Plegia castle. Chrom took Vivianne's hand as they left and returned back to the camp. Vivianne had a feeling that the Plegian troops would attack them soon so she told Chrom to order the Shepherds to leave immediately, watching him leave.

"The hierophant..." She whispered, an expression of disturbance on her face. They have left so hastily because Chrom did not want to stay any longer, but Vivianne could have felt the hierophant's eyes on her. Vivianne had a disgusted feeling when she watched the hierophant who also called herself Vivianne.

Though they did look exactly the same, Vivianne knew she was not related to the hierophant – it was something else. The other Vivianne also said that her heart was sleeping and she possessed a power but the queen of Ylisse had no idea what she meant with that. Something lingered in the back of her mind, but it seemed to be just a fog of nothingness.

She felt someone approach and looked around until Validar appeared right in front of her, Vivianne jumped back upon seeing him.

"Is that how you react to me?"

"I guess I should, considering you abducted me when I was a child!" She shouted and gritted her teeth.

"Interesting, you do remember that part. But this is not why I am here. Why are you giving your heart to that man? To Naga's children? Your place is next to me – with Grima!"

"No! I'm not!"

"As my daughter, you have no right to refuse..."

"I do – I am not your daughter!" As Vivianne shouted, the face of two people appeared in her mind. They were blurry, but Vivianne could see it was a woman and man and even without her memories she somehow knew it were the faces of her parents. Her head started to hurt and she put her hands to her temple, crouching over as she felt incredibly sick, almost as if she was about to throw up.

"Vivianne!" She heard Chrom calling out to her and Validar clicked his tongue.

"Not him again. But remember it, Vivianne. You belong to the Grimleal and soon, you will learn the truth." With that Validar disappeared and Vivianne almost fell to the ground but Chrom caught her in time.

"Vivi, are you all right?! I heard shouting." He looked worried at her as he let her slowly sat down on the ground but still held her tightly in his arms, peering into her face. "You're pale, are you feeling well? And are those... tears?"

"Ngh... ah..." She gasped, holding her head but somehow managed to look up, one of her hand went down to her cheek and she noticed it was wet. She hadn't realized she started to cry. "I-It's nothing. I'm fine."

" _Fine_ is a poor choice of words! What has happened?" He gripped her shoulders and looked sternly at her so Vivianne started to tell him that Validar has appeared and what he told her about.

"I... I saw my parents' faces... when he claimed I was his daughter... I..." She started to sob once again. She couldn't believe she could actually remember her parents' faces, even though they were blurry but she saw her mother having the same hair color as she had, but only with red eyes and her father was blonde but had curly hair and brown eyes just like Vivianne.

Chrom wrapped his arms around his wife and pulled her into an embrace on the ground as she cried, she did not cry because she remembered them but rather because she was desperate to remember more of her family, longing to see her parents' faces and hear their voices. As she sobbed, she could feel Chrom stroking over her head and he kissed her hair from time to time.

After a while, she finally calmed down and her husband spoke up.

"That hierophant doppelganger... could she be a relative of yours?"

"I-I don't know, but I have a feeling we're not connected by blood but... something else." She leaned her head against his shoulder and listened to his heartbeat, something she loved to do whenever she was upset. It calmed her every time. "To be honest, I don't even want to know the past anymore."

"Remember; you are yourself, Vivi. No one else. And I love you just as you are." He said and Vivianne smiled looking at him, they leaned in for a passionate kiss.

"Thank you, my love."

"Can you walk?" Chrom then asked and Vivianne nodded so he pulled her up onto her feet. In that moment Frederick came running up to them, shouting that Risen have surrounded them. The Shepherds immediately rushed onto the battlefield and Vivianne had a feeling that they should concentrate on the commander on the bridge first so she and Chrom rushed forwards as a team. The commander did prove to be a powerful Risen, yet they were able to defeat him and in that moment the other Risen disappeared in purple dust.

"That's the last of them. Gods, I thought it would never..." Chrom couldn't finish his words as suddenly a Risen assassin appeared out of nowhere and Vivianne ran towards him.

"Chrom, look out!" She practically threw herself in the way and was about to block the Risen when a voice rang out from behind them.

"Father, Mother! No!"

Marth appeared out of nowhere and jumped right in front of them, slashing the Risen right through the chest. With a loud sound it also disappeared in purple dust like the other monsters.

Vivianne was too perplexed to react, mostly because of the fact Marth called her _Mother_. Said person turned around to look at them with a relieved smile.

"Thank the gods you're safe!" Even though she seemed to be happy, Chrom and Vivianne stayed motionless and stared at Marth partly in surprise and party in confusion. None of them could understand why Marth called them Mother and Father.

"...You called me Father." Chrom was the first one to speak up and Marth winced, her expression growing desperate.

"Did I?" She bit her bottom lip. "I... perhaps we might speak privately?"

"Perhaps we should, yes." Vivianne answered and the three of them walked into a more secluded spot close to a lake and both Vivianne and Chrom watched Marth who seemed to search for words.

"I don't know where to begin..." She eventually spoke up and looked solemnly at the royal couple standing in front of her.

"I already know you're not _Marth_ though I've nothing better to call you..." Chrom answered. Vivianne stayed quiet, deciding to let her husband do the talking. "But I'll ask nothing of you that you don't wish to reveal. Whoever you are, Ylisse owes you a debt beyond repaying."

"Thank you, but..." She took a deep breath. "I think I would prefer you both to know the truth."

"As you wish."

"Here... look closely, and all will be made clear." Marth approached Chrom and Vivianne and stroked back her bangs. Vivianne did not understand at first what she meant until her gaze fell on Marth's left eye and gasped. Chrom next to her stopped breathing for a moment.

"That's the Brand of the Exalt..." He muttered. "Lucina?"

It sounded impossible for the girl in front of them to be their daughter, but Vivianne could see the similarities to her baby daughter whom they left at the palace. She had the same hair and eye color, and her facial features were also mostly the same. Her left eye was also the same as Lucina's, showing the Brand of the Exalt. Vivianne was unable to say anything and only watched her husband conversing with _Lucina_.

Chrom's eyes went from Lucina's face to the sword on her hip and a severe expression befell his face.

"You deserved better from me than one sword and a world of troubles. I'm sorry." His words made Lucina tear up and though she did her best in holding back the tears, they rolled down her cheek. Chrom reached out to wipe them away, but even more came and Lucina threw herself in Chrom's arms who embraced her.

"Father! Father..." She sobbed, shaking heavily and Chrom hugged the future version of his daughter, glancing over to Vivianne for a moment who was speechless. She did believe that the woman in Chrom's arms was indeed Lucina, but for some reason she could not say anything nor move. Her only thoughts were worry why she might have traveled back in time and how.

After a few moments, Lucina regained her composure once again and withdrew from Chrom's arms, looking embarrassed.

"Are you feeling better, Lucina?"

"Yes..." His daughter answered and looked over to Vivianne who finally gathered enough will to speak up.

"...My daughter..."

"Yes, your daughter." Lucina smiled at her, though it was a sad smile. Vivianne could see her tearing up and Lucina's words finally made Vivianne realize that she was really her daughter. An indescribable warmth filled her heart, she felt love well up in her heart for her child and she wanted to hug Lucina and soothe her worries and fears. Watching Lucina made her realize how beautiful her daughter has grew to be, with a kind heart.

She was proud and happy to be able to meet the future version of her daughter, happy to see her having grew up to the person she was now and proud she went through such hardships and yet was able to look forward.

Motherly love filled her and she smiled at Lucina who seemed to fight with her emotions.

"You have grown into such a strong and beautiful woman. Chrom and I are truly blessed."

Surprisingly, she noticed Lucina biting her lower lip while she held back tears, something Vivianne also did when she was trying not to cry.

"Thank you, milady." Lucina whispered and smiled gently. It somehow made Vivianne feel weird Lucina did not call her Mother, as she did call Chrom Father. Furrowing her brows, she put her hand on her chest.

"Will you not call me Mother?"

"I… I thought you might mind."

"Of course not. I love you with all my heart!" Vivianne showed her daughter her most gentle smile, filled with love and Lucina choked back a sob.

"Oh… oh, Mother…" She sniffled and rushed towards Vivianne who opened her arms and let Lucina dive into an embrace. The young woman wrapped her arms around her mother and rested her head in the crook of her neck, burying her face in the azure hair. Vivianne did also wrap her arms around Lucina, her one hand moved up to stroke over her daughter's head and comb her hair.

"You are the finest daughter a woman could hope for, Lucina." She chuckled as she whispered in Lucina's ear and felt the latter squeeze her a bit tighter as she sobbed and cried, her body trembling.

"Mother… Oh, I've missed you more than you'll ever know…" Lucina's voice broke and she hiccuped to catch some air. Comforting her child, Vivianne kept holding her daughter until she calmed down, soothingly stroking over her hair and kissed the top of her head.

After some time passed, Lucina let go of Vivianne and rubbed the tears from her cheeks so her mother reached out to gently wipe them away with her thumb.

"I guess we will need to explain our situation to the others." Chrom said, having watched his wife and daughter with a smile. "I suppose you need to explain why you are here to us all."

"R-right…" Lucina looked down in uncertain. Vivianne patted her head with an encouraging smile.

"Don't worry, they are all kind people. Odd, but kind. I know they are going to accept your request and we all will fight together."

"Indeed. Now come, let me introduce my daughter." Chrom showed her a proud look and put his arm around Lucina's shoulders and Vivianne grabbed her daughter's hand as they returned to their friends and allies who all waited for them in the camp.

The Shepherds showed equal surprise to the royal couple upon meeting the future version of Chrom and Vivianne's daughter and even more so when she told them the reason why she and some companions traveled back in time.

The Fell Dragon, Grima, was resurrected after a thousand years of being sealed away, destroyed the world and almost all the people died due to its destruction. Chrom, Vivianne and their friends were also killed during its wake and left their children to fend for themselves though the situation grew so dire, they had to reach for Naga's help and traveled back in time to change the course of history.

During the time Lucina was explaining, Vivianne held her hand in her own, patting it with her other. She wanted Lucina to know she was safe here, to make her feel welcome despite the events of the past and the ones in the near future. Of course, she only grew more worried about her baby in the palace even though both Lucina and Chrom said she was safe, but wanted to show Lucina most attention for now. Having grew up without her parents, she wanted her to know how much she was loved by her them.

However, the name of the Fell Dragon made Vivianne uneasy and she heard it somewhere before but couldn't remember where. She only recalled the Grimleal and had a suspicion they had something to do with the resurrection of Grima.

Most of the female Shepherds surrounded Lucina, asking about the future but they mostly asked her whether they were going to have children in the next few years.

"She was quite worried how the Shepherds might react to her, but it seems like they like our daughter." Chrom chuckled, joining Vivianne who was still deep in thoughts.

"Hm?… oh, yes."

"What are you thinking about?" Chrom raised his arm and stroked with the back of it over Vivianne's cheek, causing his wife to smile.

"Nothing in particular. I'm just amazed what a wonderful woman our daughter has become. And she looks like a female version of you." She wrapped her arm around his and leaned against her husband who gazed lovingly at his wife. Chrom took one quick glance around and gave her a small quick peck on the lips which made Vivianne giggle.

"Father, Mother." A moment later Vivianne realized Lucina approaching them and turned to look at her daughter who seemed hesitant. At first she wondered whom Lucina might mean until she realized it had been her and Chrom. She already accepted the young woman as her daughter, but was still not used to be called _Mother_. After all, baby Lucina was still unable to call her that.

"Yes? What's wrong, dear?" Nonetheless, she spoke up and beckoned Lucina to move closer.

"I was hoping we could talk about an important topic."

"Of course we can. What do you have on the mind?" Chrom nodded and Lucina wiggled around, apparently searching for the right words. She eventually put on a serious expression and stared at her parents.

"It's about my friends and companions. As I told you before, we entered the portal created by Naga together, but ended up separated. I wish to locate and reunite with them."

"Of course we will search for them. But who were those friends of yours?"

"Children of your friends, the Shepherds. They also lost their parents during Grima's awakening and fight valiantly by my side." Lucina's lips turned into a timid smile. "And… well… my siblings…"

"Siblings?" Chrom's eyes grew bigger in surprise and Vivianne felt herself rejoicing in her mind. She has never wanted Lucina to be an only child so she was happy to hear she has siblings.

"So Chrom and I are going to have more children in the future?"

"Indeed. In a little bit more than four years from now you are going to give birth to twins; a girl and a boy." For some reason her expression grew sad and she looked down at her hands. "I can't believe I lost them during our travel through time and I couldn't find them the past two years. I told them multiple times I'm going to keep them safe and they don't need to be afraid and yet... I failed."

Chrom seemed to be still shocked by the news that he is going to have twin children in the future so Vivianne decided to psych her up and stroked over Lucina's cheek.

"Don't worry about it, dear. We are going to find your friends and your siblings. I promise you."

"T-thank you, Mother." Lucina smiled and then turned her head to look around as Lissa called her. "Uhm, please excuse me."

Vivianne watched her daughter retreat and looked around to Chrom who seemed to be still lost in thoughts.

"What's wrong, Chrom?"

"N-nothing. I was just thinking that I'm truly blessed with a beautiful wife and great children." He blushed slightly and scratched the back of his head.

"I think so, too." She quickly kissed his cheek. "I need to check on a few things, see you later."

Vivianne had still some duties around the camp and got another tent ready for Lucina with some of her friends before taking a bath, her eyes caught the mark on her right hand which always sends shivers down her spine.

Not long later she was lying in the camp bed she shared with Chrom and read in a new book about strategy when Chrom walked in, sighing.

"Gods, that was the longest lecture Frederick has ever given me."

"What did you do?" Vivianne shortly gazed up to him with a crooked smile, but turned her attention back to the book.

"Nothing…" He went silent as Vivianne showed him a stern yet bemused look and scratched his cheek. "I destroyed one of the tents during training."

"Oh, dear." She sighed, but the imagination of Chrom being scolded like a little child by Frederick made her laugh. Chrom pouted and approached his wife, taking away the book.

"H-hey, give that back!"

"No, you have put your small nose in enough books already. We have so much to talk about now." He answered and sat down on the mattress, stretching so he fell on his back and folded his arms beneath his head. Vivianne shot him a scornful gaze yet she let herself fall back as well and put one arm around him, her head resting on his chest.

"You are quite convincing, dear." She felt his one arm wrap around her and the other one cupped her hand on his chest, his fingers stroking over the back of her hand.

"Am I?" He chuckled low in his throat, but then went quiet. "What a surprise to learn Marth was our daughter all the time."

"Indeed. And she saved us all the way back, only a few hours after we met. Even with her mask on, I could sense her being sad when looking at us and I always wondered why. Now I have the answer." Vivianne replied and snuggled against her beloved who tightened his grip on her.

"But it's a nice surprise to see who Lucina grew up to be. I just wonder about the twins." Chrom muttered against Vivianne's head as he had pressed his lips against her hair. He pressed smiley kisses on her head from time to time, showing her his affection.

"I asked Lucina about them earlier. She told me their names are Morgana and Morgan and they inherited most of their appearance from me except of the hair - they inherited your hair color."

"Four years, huh? I am already looking forwards to it." Chrom's hand slid from hers down to her belly, cupping it. He hasn't done that since she was pregnant with Lucina and it made her heart skip.

"You are going to be even more overprotective than you were when I was pregnant with _one_ child." She chuckled but Chrom only sulked.

"I wasn't overprotective."

"You were." Vivianne rolled over to lay on her stomach, grinning broadly at Chrom who cupped her cheek and pulled her head closer to kiss his wife.

"Let's search for our twins during the campaign then. I'm getting nervous not knowing if they are all right."

"I agree."

Vivianne closed her eyes as they leaned in for another kiss.


	10. Chapter IX

**Chapter IX**

In the next few day the Shepherds did their best to locate Lucina's lost friends. Though they were about to run headlong into another war, Chrom and Vivianne wanted their daughter to be relieved by seeing her friends unharmed. After a few battles in different villages, they did manage it to collect some of Lucina's friends. The first one was Olivia's future son Inigo who almost knocked his mother over trying to hug her and his father Donnel. Maribelle's future son Brady bursted into tears seeing her which surprised Vivianne as he did not look that soft-hearted as he showed to be. Tharja's daughter Noire almost got hexed by her mother as she had been found by her father Virion and the former thought he was cheating on her. Nowi's daughter Nah was the complete opposite of her mother but the two of them looked the same when they started crying though Ricken did his best to calm both of them down. With the help of Miriel and Stahl's son Laurent they found the hidden village in the sandy dunes in the east and Sully and Gregor helped their daughter Kjelle to win a duel by supporting her. In the following days, they also found Panne's timid son Yarne who ran away from his mother across the battlefield, thinking she was an enemy until his father Vaike stopped him. Cordelia had problems in making her daughter Severa join them as the girl initially refused, even with Henry's help, until a certain Holland was saved. Cynthia, Sumia's daughter, almost battled the latter until she saw Gaius and recognized her father, falling down as she rushed to hug her mother. Lissa's future son Owain showed to be a quite colorful person and surprised both of his parents, especially Lon'qu who seemed to have a difficult time to get used to his son's behavior. Cherche and Libra's son Gerome was the last one of their friends' children to be recruited and the boy showed no interest in joining them, though after Cherche talked to him he accepted the invitation to join the Shepherds.

Though her friends were safe and joined the Shepherds, Lucina still showed concern as her siblings still were missing.

"I fear we might never find them." She whispered while being out in the town with Vivianne. The latter was staring at some clothes and turned her head to look at Lucina.

"What did you say, my dear?"

"I mean… we found everyone except of Morgan and Morgana. I fear they might have been taken somewhere else. I'm a horrible elder sister." Lucina bit her bottom lip so Vivianne walked over to her daughter and patted her head.

"Don't worry about it, darling. I'm sure we will find them - we have already found your friends so why should we not be able to find them? Just stay patient. And you are not a horrible older sister."

Lucina nodded at her mother's reassuring words and the latter put her arm around her daughter's shoulder and led her to another shop to keep her mind off things as she worried Lucina might overwork herself.

"Oh, this dress is very nice." Lucina said after a while and Vivianne turned to look which one she meant and stopped in her tracks. The dress she was holding was quite colorful and did not fit Vivianne's taste, she had a feeling Lucina was looking for a dress for her mother as she turned her eyes from the clothing and back.

"U-uhm... are you sure? This dress is quite... extravagant..."

"I know! It's very modern! Can you see all those giant polka dots? If you look carefully, you'll see that each one is a portrait of Aunt Emmeryn herself! I wager when Father sees you in this, he'll scream in delight!" Seeing Lucina's expression already made Vivianne almost laugh, but the imagination of Chrom's reaction of her in this piece of clothing nearly caused her to burst out laughing so she raised her hand and pressed the sleeve of her battle coat to her mouth to stifle the sound.

"I bet he'll scream." She whispered to herself and Lucina turned to her mother in confusion.

"Pardon, Mother? I didn't catch that."

"I'm sorry, Lucina... it's just that the dress is not... my style..."

"Oh? I was sure you would like it... Well, perhaps I will find another one." She smiled at her mother. "I'm really happy you came to the town market with me. I know it seems frivolous in times like these, but in the blighted future I come from I often fantasized of such simple pleasures."

"Why, Lucina. What a considerate daughter you've grown up to be."

Lucina giggled like a little girl and grabbed Vivianne's hand, pulling her deeper into the market.

Vivianne could see a few of her friends with her children in the market town as well. She spotted Henry with Severa walking around several accessories shops and Sumia stood alongside Cynthia next to a weapon's shop and looked through several spears. A bit further down were Maribelle and Frederick with Brady in a shop selling tea leaves. It made Vivianne happy to see her friends enjoy themselves during such a time and she was glad the children were also enjoying themselves, which is one of the reasons why Vivianne accompanied Lucina to the market.

"Oh, Mother! Mother! Come over, please!" She heard Lucina call her and turned to approach her daughter who was waving at her.

Once they finished their business in town, Vivianne and Lucina returned to the camp and Chrom approached her with a content expression. Knowing Chrom, she knew something good has happened. He told her he received information about a certain gem called Naga's Tear which would help them and they agreed on searching for it. The leads led them to an abandoned shrine where the Shepherds were attacked by Risen. Vivianne split the group and commanded Chrom to go in the eastern part of the shrine with some of their allies and her husband did what she told him, leading his group. The Risen were tougher than they looked and he could see a group of the monsters attacking two youths. The two of them were fighting with all their might, yet there were too many Risen for them. Chrom did not think twice and rushed to help them. With quick movements, his blade ripped through the monsters' bodies. As soon as the last Risen disappeared into nothingness, he put Falchion back in its' sheath and turned to look at the two youths. It was a boy and a girl, the boy looked steadfast and held an arm before the girl who had a timid expression on her face. The two looked familiar and Chrom needed to think for a moment until he realized that they were similar to Vivianne. Their facial features were almost the same as his wife's and they had her beautiful brown eyes but both of them had the same cobalt blue hair as Chrom had. He had a hunch who those two might be, but he wanted to be entirely convinced they were the twins Lucina has told them about. His future children.

"I'm glad to see you both safe."

"W-who are you?" The boy asked and Chrom noticed the two of them were wary around him, he understood they were more cautiously and wanted them to trust him more.

"I'm Chrom. What are your names?"

The boy was reluctant to tell Chrom their names but the girl stepped forwards, looking shyly into his eyes.

"My name is Morgana and this is my twin brother Morgan. But unfortunately we don't remember more than that..."

"Morgana!"

"That man saved us. I think we can trust him." Morgana looked to her brother for a moment, shaking her head and Chrom smiled though the fact they didn't remember disturbed him slightly.

"You don't remember?"

"No. We woke up in a field with most of our memories gone." Morgana had a sad expression on her face and Chrom withstood the urge to pat her head. This would make it worse for him to find out whether they were his children, but he had a feeling he had to reassure them.

"Seems like I have a gift to find amnesiac people. I found someone very dear to me like that as well. Her name is Vivianne."

"Vivianne?!" Morgan shouted, having been quiet and the twins stared at Chrom with big eyes.

"Yes. Do you know her?"

"Of course we do! She our mother!" Morgana beamed at Chrom, her smile also reminded him of his wife.

"Your mother? Then you are truly... I mean you're my... our..." He stopped, the twins did not remember anything and it was a blessing they remembered their mother but they probably had no idea they traveled back in time and it hurt him they didn't remember him yet he had to tell them what was going on. "I need you both to calm down and listen. Vivianne is my wife which means you're my children from the future."

"The future?!"

"Is that why we can't remember anything?"

"I don't know. Do you remember an older sister named Lucina?" Chrom's heart sunk when he saw the two of them shaking their heads. Remembering how Lucina felt about their disappearance, he could imagine she would be heart-broken they couldn't remember her.

"Well, at least you remember your mother. I think it's best when you come with me, once you've met Vivianne things might clear up. And stay by my side, I don't want you hurt."

"Oh, don't you worry. I can defend myself." Morgan said with a smile and dashed onto the battlefield. Morgana did not follow him and stayed by Chrom's side.

She might look a little bit timid, but she was a great fighter and Chrom started to feel proud to see that his future twins also grew up to be such prudent people, but as both are also Vivianne's children he wasn't too surprised.

"Kyaah!" Morgana shouted as she was hit by a Risen's attack on her shoulder and so Chrom put his arm around his second daughter's shoulder and pulled her against his chest, his sword striking the monster in the face, decapitating it.

"Are you all right, Morgana?" He asked worried, looking at her. Morgana only nodded.

"Y-yes, don't worry, Father." She shrugged it off in a similar manner to how Vivianne ignores her own injuries during battles and so the two of them kept battling together. Though Chrom had his hand full fighting, he watched out for Morgana who apparently refused to leave his side – Morgan has ran ahead to the huge group of Risen where the other Shepherds were fighting. Morgana was fighting similarly to Vivianne with her magic, but it was not as strong as her mother's though she did her best.

Eventually, they reached the one Risen who was the one leading the other Risen, Chrom gripped Falchion tighter.

"Are you ready, Morgana?"

"Yes, Father." She chuckled and nodded, gripping the thunder tome in her hands tighter. Chrom charged at the Risen Boss with Morgana following him. He swung Falchion in his usual fighting style and Morgana threw lighting at the creature. With her support, Chrom was able to defeat the Risen and as it disappeared, a gem appeared which he quickly caught. It was shaped like a tear and was pale green in color.

"What's that?" Morgana asked, her brown eyes wide. She reached out to it, but withdrew her hand.

"That's a special gem called Naga's Tear. From what I heard, it's able to enhance one's abilities." He explained and watched Morgana who was staring at the gem with sparkling eyes so he told her to reach out her hand. She did what he ordered her to do and put the gem in her hand, causing her to gasp.

"Are you sure you want to give it to me?"

"Of course. See it as a present from your father." Chrom smiled and patted her head, Morgana only giggled as she wrapped the gem in a handkerchief and put it away in her coat pocket. "Come now, let's go and join your mother."

Chrom lead his daughter to the rest of their group who were talking with Morgan. Once the boy saw his sister, he ran up to her with a happy expression and bombarded her with questions how her fighting went and which spells she used and which not. From what Chrom saw, the two of them were more talkative once they opened up to someone – which they were doing really quickly. Smiling, he ordered his group to return to Vivianne's.

Lucina was the first one to notice Chrom returning with her siblings, her eyes lit up in relief and she looked like she was going to start crying. Not wasting a second, she ran towards Morgan and Morgana, wrapping her arms around both, hugging them tightly.

"Brother! Sister!"

Morgan and Morgana looked at each other before they stared at Lucina in perplexity. Chrom has partly told them they had an older sister named Lucina so they didn't wriggled out of her hold, but still looked uncomfortable which Lucina apparently noticed.

"What's wrong? Don't you recognize me?"

"Uhm..."

"Er..."

Chrom could see they tried to find words to explain Lucina that they couldn't remember anything besides their mother and each other, so he stepped in to help them.

"You see, the two of them seemed to have suffered under the circumstances of time traveling and lost their memories. It's a blessing they at least remember each other and Vivianne." He put his hands on the twins' shoulders and Lucina stepped back, almost as if she received a blow. She had a shocked expression on her face which changed to a heartbroken one.

"I... I see..." Based on her expression, Chrom could see she was thinking the same he was before; why the twins couldn't remember her and why they only remembered their mother.

"Come on, don't look so sad. We'll solve everything." Morgan grinned a confident smile at his sister which caused Lucina to put on a melancholic smile on her lips.

Vivianne who had been standing close and watched the exchange, admired the twins and couldn't help but to feel affection towards them. Though both of them were suffering from amnesia like her – which had shocked her – the two of them were quite upbeat and for some reason it made her feel proud.

Morgana was the first one to notice her mother standing not so far away from them and her face lit up.

"Mother!" She bellowed and ran over to her, throwing herself in Vivianne's arms, almost toppling over. Vivianne caught her future daughter stumbling backwards to keep her balance. Morgana wrapped her arms tightly around her mother hiding her face in the latter's bosom and Vivianne moved her hand up to pat Morgana's head though it was difficult to move while being bear-hugged.

"Oh, Mother! I have missed you so much! I thought I'll never see you again." Morgana gripped Vivianne's battle coat and in the same moment Morgan practically jumped against her, his arms encircling both her and his twin sister but unlike her, he was beaming brightly.

Vivianne giggled when she saw how happy those two were to see her and hugged her future children back with love. She did not need any kind of confirmation to know those two were truly her flesh and blood, her heart told her enough.

"You look younger than I remember. I guess we're really stuck in the past." Morgan said after a while and let go of his mother. Morgana also let go, though more hesitantly.

"Yes, but don't worry about it. Of course I'm shocked you traveled back through time, but it doesn't matter from which future you came. We're making sure everyone's future is going to be a bright one."

"Then let us help you, Mother! We have both striven to become like you!" Morgana smiled. "Together we're going to do it!"

Vivianne looked at the two of them in astonishment but then she chuckled and stroked over their heads.

"You two really come after me."


	11. Chapter X

**Chapter X**

With all of the children rescued, the Shepherds moved out to Valm where they met another ally, Say'ri. Following her pleas, they decided to join her in the fight against the Conqueror Walhart. However, after seemingly endless battles, the Shepherds enjoyed their break away from battle.

The twins urged Vivianne to go with them to see the town market to which she complied and so they headed into town. Morgan and Morgana looked through the goods enthusiastically, their eyes sparkling brightly.

"Mother, look at this tome! It's so thick!"

"Mother! Mo-ther! This sword is so nicely crafted, do you think so as well?"

"Mother!"

"Mother!"

The two of them seemed to be competing for Vivianne's attention who tried to keep up with their boundless energy and handed them some money telling them they're free to buy themselves whatever they wanted. Morgan and Morgana's eyes sparkled in excitement and rushed over to one of the shops which was selling high-class tomes.

Vivianne sighed and watched her future children rummaging through the goods with a smile. For some reason, she felt much more fulfilled knowing that she is going to have them as children in around four years and though she was sometimes getting tired trying to cope with them, she grew used to it.

"Mother! I have found the perfect piece of clothing!" Lucina - who has went with her siblings and mother into town - emerged from one of the shops carrying a package in her hands. Lately, Vivianne had a feeling her oldest child was growing distant from her so she decided to take Lucina along into their visit to the market town.

"Oh, I wouldn't have thought you'd find one so quickly. But I believe it will be just fine." Vivianne said with a slight nervous smile. She did not want to disappoint Lucina again for not liking the clothes her daughter chose for her, even though Lucina had quite an unique style which Vivianne did not share.

"I can't wait to see how it fits!" Lucina grabbed into the package with a smile. "Tadah!"

She pulled out a light blue romper suit with tiny white flowers sewn in the material and a small bow on the neckline. The last time Vivianne had been out with Lucina, she had saw similar clothes to this and had fondly pictured Baby Lucina in them.

"Those are baby clothes, Lucina."

"Yea! I saw you admiring those when we visited the market together last time. At first, I didn't understand why until I realized you must have been thinking of your real daughter. The one you have in this era, I mean. Your real daughter." Lucina showed Vivianne a sad smile and stroked over the fabric while the latter stared at her child, her heart paining seeing her like that.

"You could sent it to her back at the castle. I'm sure she misses you."

"Why, Lucina…" Vivianne had no idea what to say, she was lacking words.

"I've been so happy here, despite fighting in this horrible war. Being able to see my mother again has been like a living dream. I don't want to wake up and remember you have a different life here." Lucina pressed the romper against her chest, looking down to her feet. "Whenever I think of your little girl, I feel jealous. I know it's ridiculous to envy myself, but I can't help it. And as the twins have your attention the most, I also feel envious of that."

Vivianne stared at Lucina for a moment, touched by her words and then smiled gently.

"Oh, Lucina. Don't be silly. I think of you as my daughter from the moment we reunited! Believe me, when I tell you I love you the same as that child in the castle. The same goes for your brother and sister! There's no need to feel envious. You might not remember it, but I fuss over you since you were born, ask your father."

"Heh, he did say you were."

"Yes, and you are a true daughter to me. I want to give you happy memories to make up for those you have lost in your future world. And I know Chrom feels the same way."

"If anyone knows how he feels, I imagine it would be you."

"Of course!" Vivianne smiled and put her hands on Lucina's shoulders, pulling her close to a hug. "Your father and I are so alike in many ways. We're parents to the world's most wonderful children, for one. Especially our most beloved oldest daughter." She whispered in Lucina's ear and kissed her head as her child wrapped her arms around her as well, trembling slightly.

"Thank you, Mother. For everything." Lucina sobbed quietly and hid her face in the crook of Vivianne's neck who stroked over her head.

"There's no need to thank me. Taking care of you is my joy." Vivianne kissed her head and Lucina let go of her mother in embarrassment, her eyes on the package in her hands.

"We can send it to Baby Lucina together." Vivianne patted Lucina's hand and the two of them went to the courier before walking around the market. As they were browsing through the goods, Lucina told her that she had managed to talk Chrom into sparring with her and how he scolded her and the twins for getting worked up over a roach which made Vivianne laugh.

"Oh, Mother. Look! This tome is akin to yours!" Lucina grabbed the sleeve of Vivianne's coat while the latter was checking through some medicinal herbs and wondered whether they had enough left in camp after the last battle. Curiously, Vivianne turned her head and followed Lucina's finger which pointed at a tome displayed pompously in a tome store. The design was indeed the same as Orion as well as the color though her tome's cover color changed into different shades of azure blue with lightning-like movements.

"Interested in the tome, ladies?" The shopkeeper, an old man, smiled.

"It looks familiar." Vivianne replied, a feeling she shouldn't mention she was in possession of the tome.

"Indeed, as it is often displayed as the most powerful tome ever created in various books, made by the first Dragon God Arcardia. Legend says it possesses an own soul. During the time of the Hero-King Marth, it belonged to his tactician Aria who was said to be the most capable one in their time. Alas, as she disappeared it vanished alongside her. It's just sad that it's only seen as a legend nowadays." The old shopkeeper looked excited as he stroked over the replica of Orion. Vivianne unconsciously reached to the belt on her hip with which she was keeping Orion in place and placed her hand on the tome. She had a loud ringing in her ears which was growing louder.

"Oh, I have heard so many interesting things about this tale. Especially about Marth and Aria's relationship!... Er, Mother?"

Vivianne could hear Lucina's worried voice, but she clutched her head as the ringing in her ears was growing louder and she grew dizzy. At first her head seemed to spin, but now the entire surroundings seemed to spin and before she knew it, she passed out.

In the darkness, she seemed to be floating. She tried to move, but couldn't yet she heard voices which were quiet but eventually grew louder; a woman's voice who tried to soothe a child which was crying loudly.

"Don't cry, Vivi. It was an accident." She felt someone stroke over her head, combing her fingers through her hair. The gentle voice belonged to her mother.

"No! I always... they always get destroyed when I... waah!" Vivianne continued to cry, her fingers grabbing the fabric of her mother's shirt. Her voice sounded like the one of a very young child which just learned how to talk. Her mother only sighed and kept stroking over her hair. She then heard a door opening and peered from between her hair to the door.

A woman with long azure blue hair, tied to a ponytail, which seemed to change the shade of the color with every movement and glowed like the moon in the night sky, pointed ears and sky blue eyes with slit pupil and wore a cheongsam-like black dress with a leather corset and stockings without feet, being barefoot. Aria was carrying an azure blue tome in her hands, a small smile on her lips which showed her fangs.

"Still crying, Vivi?" The woman giggled quietly and approached Vivianne and her mother, kneeling down before Vivianne who had a curious expression on her face, but still had tear-stained cheeks.

"You don't need to be upset that you're burning the tomes when you try to use them; your magical prowess is just too strong for them that's why they explode as they can not channel your magic. But this one is strong enough for you, I assure you. Here, try to touch it."

Vivianne was hesitant, having experienced various tomes being burned by her hands upon touching it, and looked up to her mother meeting her red eyes.

She showed her daughter an encouraging smile and nodded so Vivianne let go of her mother and reached out her small hands, carefully touching the cover which felt like touching water. The fabric of the cover made her curious so she grabbed the book, wiping the tears off her cheeks and opened the book. It did not burn or explode and showed different spells and curses and Vivianne's eyes started to sparkle in excitement.

"It's great..." She muttered and looked up to Aria who chuckled, reaching out and patting her head.

"Are you sure, Aunt Aria?" Vivianne's mother asked and Aria nodded.

"Of course." She then looked back to Vivianne. "Listen, my darling girl: I once received this tome from a person I cherished a lot and it had been my possession for many, many years. Unfortunately, it doesn't listens to me anymore as it used to and I have no reason to use it anymore. That's why I want you to have it, it's going to be of help one day. Can you hold onto it as a keepsake for my friend?"

"Yes!" Vivianne nodded and threw her arms around Aria who caught her, squeezing her back.

The surroundings started to grow black and Vivianne was floating in darkness once again though she was struggling against it; she wanted to see and hear more of her memories, but to no avail.

She heard voices once again, but this time she recognized them as Chrom's, the twins's and Lucina's.

Opening her eyes, she saw four blue heads hovering above her, all four of them having a worried look on their faces.

"Mother!" Lucina and the twins moved closer with a relieved expression and Lucina has grabbed her hand.

Vivianne was at first puzzled where she was and darted her eyes around, realizing it was the tent which she shared with Chrom in the Shepherd's camp.

"How are you feeling?" Chrom stroked over Vivianne's head who was still confused what has happened. She did remember passing out, but it confused her more that she has remembered something from her childhood – but she had saw her mother's face and Aria who seemed to be a relative. However, she wondered more whether it was Marth's tactician or someone named after her but since she had Orion in her possession meant she should be the real deal.

"Uh... yes, don't worry." Vivianne smiled at her husband and slowly sat up, her eyes fixated on her children.

"You suddenly collapsed, Mother." Lucina said, seeing her mother's slightly puzzled expression. "We were lucky Father was close, he carried you here."

"I... I see..." Vivianne whispered and watched Chrom telling their children to go to bed as it was late and they knew their mother was fine. All three of them were reluctant, but obeyed thus leaving the tent.

"You had me quite worried. Well, not only me – everyone was worried." Chrom sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed and put his hand over Vivianne's who had clasped them in her lap.

"I'm sorry. I just felt very dizzy all of the sudden." She replied meekily. Chrom only shook his head and pulled her closer, giving her a quick kiss.

"I'm just relieved you're all right. Libra said you were just exhausted, but you were quite pale and seemed to be in pain." He wrapped his arms around his wife, gathering her against him. Vivianne did not reply as her thoughts were circling in her mind. She figured out that Aria's name and the tale about Orion were the things which triggered the part of her memory to return where she received the tome. But it only piqued her curiosity and she wondered if it was really the Aria who was hailed as a hero alongside Marth in the tales in this realm.

She pondered whether to tell Chrom she remembered another part of her past, but kept quiet and enjoyed his warmth, the strength of his arms and his scent instead.

The next morning the Shepherds moved out to meet with Naga's Voice and Vivianne felt refreshed after sleeping peacefully through the night and ate breakfast together with her children who seemed happy she felt better.

Say'ri lead the way to the great tree where the voice was resting and Vivianne could see it from far away, it took her breath away to see something so breathtaking. The tree trunk moved up far into the sky and the treetop seemed to replace the sky on its own when standing underneath.

"Whoa..." Lissa's mouth was wide open as she stood next to Vivianne, her head in her neck. "I don't think I've ever felt so small..."

"I can't even see the top of it!" Basilio laughed behind them.

"Most impressive indeed... So the shrine hides all the way up in its branches?" Frederick asked Say'ri who nodded, her hand on the hilt of her katana.

"Aye, sir. A great staircase inside the trunk leads up to it. However, the empire has closed off the only route to the steps. Or perhaps roots to the steps I should say..."

"Then we'll just have to break through. Come!"

Chrom looked over to his wife whose eyes had already darted around their surroundings and she immediately created a plan how to proceed without falling off the roots into the water or having problems with the enemies.

"Merry! What fighting! I almost pity the enemies of Ylisse!" Say'ri exclaimed after seeing the Ylisseans fight the Valmese soldiers, eventually defeating them. Her eyes were fixed on Vivianne who had defeated the general and stared at the tome in her hands.

"Say'ri, do you know the way up to the shrine?" Chrom asked the Cho'sin princess and she nodded.

"Aye, sir. Follow me – and let us be quick about it!"

She lead the Shepherds to the tree trunk in which a staircase was embedded leading all the way to the tree top. For some of Vivianne's allies it was quite difficult to climb the stairs, but for her it was no problem.

Reaching the top of the tree, Lissa almost collapsed out of exhaustion but was caught by Lon'qu.

"Ugh... how many stairs are there in a case of stairs? Because I'm already sick of this stupid staircase!" She nagged.

"The Voice truly lives all the way up here?" Lucina asked as she followed her mother onto the clearing, her eyes widen as she looked around.

"Lady Tiki!" Say'ri was way ahead of them all and has entered something akin to a shrine. "Are you here?! Prithee answer!"

Vivianne could hear a loud yawn from the shrine and soon a woman with manakete features and green hair emerged, looking tired at her visitors.

"Ah, my lady. I'm so relieved to see you're all right." Say'ri bowed before Tiki who let a droopy gaze wander over the faces of the Shepherds.

"So you are Lady Tiki? She who speaks for the divine dragon?" Lucina stepped forwards, looking solemnly at Tiki whose eyes widen when she saw her.

"... Marth? Oh, Mar-Mar is that you?" Tiki had a gentle yet quiet voice as she stepped forwards to take a closer look at Lucina.

"My name is Lucina, milady. Though I did go by the name Marth for a time. Might we have met?"

"... Alas, no. I'm sorry. You reminded me of someone I know. But he is gone now... lost during my endless sleep..." Tiki sounded sad for a moment and it reminded Vivianne of Aria who had a similar sadness displayed on her face when she spoke of the person she had cherished.

"You, your brother and sister and your father are of exalted bloodline, are you not?" Tiki glanced to Chrom and the twins who stood right and left next to him. Morgana has clutched his cloak, wincing when Tiki's eyes passed her.

"Yes, milady."

"Do you yet possess the Fire Emblem? It should have been passed down through your family..."

"I... yes, I have it right here." Chrom answered and showed Tiki the Fire Emblem which he was carrying like a shield on his arm and she took a quick look at it.

"Ah! What a relief to know it has not been lost... But where are the Gemstones? I see only Argent."

"Gemstones?"

"Yes, there are five of them – Argent, Sable, Gules, Azure and Vert. Each holds a portion of Naga's power. When mounted upon the Emblem, they allow one to perform the Awakening." Tiki explained and then further told them that the first Exalt used the power of the Emblem to defeat Grima, but the power was too much for the people and so they were scattered. She then searched through her pockets and took out a gem in a similar color to Vivianne's hair. They further discussed about the other Gemstones and Tiki placed the Gemstone she held onto into the Emblem.

"With it, you possess two of the five Gemstones. Now you must seek out the others and perform the Awakening. Our world must be defended from Grima at all costs!" For a moment, Tiki looked very serious but her facial features softened shortly after.

"But I'm confused... I thought Grima's power was sealed away." Chrom said furrowing his brows and Tiki sighed.

"Yes, but ever since, there have been those who would change that. Grima's life force grows even now, and with it, the long shadows of despair."

"When will he return? And where?"

"I cannot know these things. But I can feel his presence... It looms, closer and closer... This task is a heavy burden, but as he of exalted blood, it must fall to you, Chrom."

"I understand. Thank you, for all your help."

The Shepherds turned to go and Vivianne thanked Tiki for her help when the Voice focused her attention on her, her gaze solemn.

"You... do you might have met Great Lady Aria?"

Vivianne stopped breathing for a moment, her eyes widen as she heard Tiki asking her.

"Eh?"

"I can see you are in possession of Orion, the tome she was gifted to by Mar-Mar. There's only one in the entire universe... And the aura around you and your powers are very similar to the Great Lady... I almost mistaken you for her."

Vivianne could sense that her friends had stopped walking and looked at the exchange between the two which made her feel uncomfortable; she was about to say she did not know Aria but Tiki's hopeful expression changed her mind.

"I do know her... Orion has been a gift from her."

"Ah... the Great Lady is still alive... If only she could be here..." Tiki's expression turned into a warm smile, but then she put her hand to her head. "Forgive me... I'm still groggy from my slumber. My words outpace my thoughts."

"Are you all right, milady?" Say'ri asked with worry in her voice but Tiki only shook her head.

"I am fine, just very tired. I haven't the strength to join you in the fray. Not yet. But I will call the people together, in prayer, for an end to this conflict."

With that she returned back to the shrine and the Shepherds decided to go to Fort Steiger and so they left the Great Tree.

On their way back, Vivianne was thinking about the things Tiki has told her and looked at her hand. She has told her she possessed a similar aura and power to Aria – but what kind of power? The only most unusual thing was that Vivianne's body was much stronger than a normal human's, even those who were training for years, and she was faster than Panne and Nowi and could jump up castle walls with no problems. Her endurance was also higher than any of her allies. But she did not see these abilities as a power but rather thought she must have trained a lot before losing her memories.

Well, sometimes she had a weird feeling when walking, as if there was a vein in the ground which she could sense but had no idea what this was.

From behind, she felt an arm wrapping around her back and Chrom joined her side.

"You have remembered more?" He whispered with an astonished voice and Vivianne smiled.

"That was when I passed out. I remembered getting angry because my magic power was too much for normal tomes and went crying to my mother because of it. Aria joined us then and handed me Orion." She told him with a nostalgic look on her face. "It was the first time I recalled my mother's voice… she sounded so gentle…"

Her voice trailed off and she bit her bottom lip, she felt like she was about to cry and stopped talking. She could feel Chrom's eyes on her and couldn't bring herself to look up when he raised an arm and put his hand under her chin so that she was forced to look up to his face.

"It's great you recalled something so precious. I'm happy for you to be able to remember your mother - I can imagine you had a very loving one, just like you are." He glanced around to see whether anyone was looking at them and then dropped a quick passionate kiss on her lips. "If you might be able to remember more, we can find out where your parents are and search for them."

"Thank you." Vivianne replied, touched by Chrom's gentle words. He smiled at his wife and his hand slid from her chin to her hand and his long fingers wrapped around it. He raised his hand with hers to his lips and kissed the back of it, a tender look in his blue eyes. Vivianne blushed in return and looked to the ground in embarrassment though she was happy to have such a considerate husband.


	12. Chapter XI

**Chapter XI**

Countless battles followed the conversation with the Voice of Naga and though everyone was extremely tired and exhausted from the constant fighting, Vivianne felt all right and not exhausted in the least. On the other hand, she felt great and it boosted her fighting prowess which surprised her.

During the Plegian-Ylissean War she did not feel like that and somehow her body started to act like this after she met Plegia's hierophant and it reminded her of the words she said; that her power was different. Though she was a bit hesitant about those powers, she did not fear them as they were very useful during long battles like the ones Chrom lead them into.

Eventually, they faced Say'ri's brother Yen'fay who was defeated by the former with the help of Vivianne. Say'ri shivered as she watched her brother's body disappear in the magma of the volcano, her fingers gripping the sword he left behind.

Feeling pity for Say'ri, Vivianne searched for words to console her but the princess of Chon'sin shook her head.

"Our victory is secured… Yen'fay has fallen." She whispered. "I will never understand why he joined Walhart… His reasons die with him."

Suddenly a big man with purple hair appeared, sneering at them. His eyes went from Say'ri to Vivianne and back as he started talking.

"What a death it was! Did you see the grief on his face?! The mi of longing and pain in his eyes! He had become such an accomplished actor, but that was all too real."

"Excellus." Say'ri hissed, gritting her teeth. "What would you know of my brother, you loathsome toad!"

"More than you, princess. And I would watch that mouth of yours. I would kill you, but I am honoring his sacrifice. Even I do have my limits."

"What?! What do you mean with sacrifice?!"

"Ooh! Did I just spill the beans?" He laughed with a high-pitched cry. "I'm so sorry, but I promised your dear brother I'd never tell…"

"Explain yourself, snake! Or DIE!" Say'ri shouted, unsheathing her sword and pointed the tip at him which made Excellus wince back.

"Bah, as if you could harm me! You only live by my grace, you ungrateful Wretch! I could have had you killed countless times!" He gripped his tome in an excited expression, ready to attack Say'ri but Vivianne who started to feel anger at the arrogant tactician's behavior created a shield in front of Say'ri which apparently startled Excellus.

"Don't you dare make a step closer. Just talk or I will loosen your tongue." She startled coldly at him, having no expression on her face which made Excellus whimper.

"Heh, did Yen'fay not tell him about it as you cut him to bloody pieces? I guess not, he was more of the quiet type. He swallowed his pride to protect you, his little sister!"

"What? Those are lies!"

"No, no. Before you met the Ylissean Forces, we could have had your head in Chon'sin or at Valm Harbor. Did you really think yourself so elusive? You were my leverage for Yen'fay - a hostage! I let you live; he fought for us. That was our deal. And he kept his end, right to his end."

"No…" Say'ri gasped, gripping her chest and looked like she would collapse any time.

"Phew, I feel much better having that off my chest. Maybe I should try that truth telling more often!" He laughed gleefully and full with spite while Say'ri fell to her knees. "And because he is dead now I don't have to keep my promise. Come!"

He raised his hand in the air and more Valmese forces appeared, surrounding the Shepherds as well as Say'ri and Vivianne. It seemed like Excellus has planned that beforehand and now they were all outnumbered.

Even though Vivianne could think of a strategy right away, the location would make it extremely difficult to move around to defeat them all.

"You will all die here, just as Yen'fay did! Maybe your body will join his in this hot fire!" Excellus laughed and stepped back. Say'ri next to Vivianne was sobbing loudly at his words and Vivianne felt how her blood was up, anger filling her chest. She has never saw such a disgusting person and as she blocked off the Valmese forces by creating a shield around her and Say'ri she felt something underneath her feet. It felt like veins running through the ground, though it was very weak and gathered at several points stretched across the entire place in a green color. It surprised her, but she knew right away what it was.

Dragon Veins her mind said and she moved her hand towards the one under Excellus and concentrated on it. A stream of power left her and activated it, the rocks underneath Excellus disappeared into nothingness and he fell towards the magma with a loud shriek, his robes caught fire and wandered up his left foot. He only barely managed to escape onto another rock and screamed in pain as the fire was burning into his flesh. This showed to be a great diversion for the Valmese troops and Vivianne grabbed Say'ri's arm to pull her up to her feet.

"It's our time to escape!" She said and activated all the other Dragon Veins at the same time which proved to be an advantage for the Ylisseans and so they fled the battlefield, the pained screams of the soldiers behind them.

However, Say'ri seemed to be reluctant to run and so Vivianne gathered her in her arms and put her over her shoulders, dashing to the Shepherd's camp where the soldiers were ordered to gather after the battle. Once she reached the first tent Vivianne let Say'ri down but she kept sitting there, her head sunken.

"This can't be… Y-Yen'fay… no…"

"Say'ri…" Vivianne crouched next to her and stroked over her shoulders, rubbing them soothingly.

"Gods… the things I said to him… The things I did… I have wronged him beyond imagining…" She sobbed, her hands cupping her face. "If he had only spoken! Told me! I could have joined the ruse, I…"

"Milady, I know well the grief of losing family with so much yet unsaid." Lucina tried to comfort Say'ri as she joined them.

"I am wretched! I've repaid my brother's kindness with death! Oh, Yen'fay, forgive me… please, oh please… please…"

"Say'ri… I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Lissa was also with them, having a sorrowful expression on her face.

"Say'ri you did all you could. Your brother knew that… You are blameless in this. Excellus and the empire are at fault here. And they will be made to answer for it, I promise you." Chrom spoke up, standing behind Vivianne.

"Sir Chrom… I… Pray, forgive me. You have done so much for this land while I can give nothing in return. Or worse… What help I offered turned against us…" Say'ri muttered as she looked up, wiping the tears on her cheeks away.

"We're the Resistance now, and we've yet to lose a battle! Yen'fay would be proud. And he'd also want us to fight on… to make sure his sacrifice has meaning. And fight we will, Say'ri. Until this land is free." Vivianne reassured her and Say'ri had a small smile on her lips.

"Aye, my lady. And thank you. I owe my life to you all and to my brother. I swear to you, and to him… I will make the most of it." She stood up, a new resolution in her face which made the Shepherds cheer in agreement.

Following the end of the battle, the Shepherds gathered together and started to patch up their wounds and scratches as well as taking care of their weapons.

Vivianne had walked a bit away from the group and spotted another Dragon Vein not far away; there weren't as many as in the mountain but she was curious about it and activated it which created a small pond with a loud rumbling sound. Looking down at her hands she wondered why she suddenly recalled this mysterious power she had. She had knew right away that those veins were called Dragon Veins and how to use the powers - it was almost like an intuition and it felt like she was born with that ability.

"Here you are." Chrom's voice brought her back to reality and she turned to look at her husband.

"Oh, Chrom…"

"Thanks to you, we were able to escape Excellus's trap but what was this trick you used?"

"I don't know. I just suddenly knew what to do and how to activate special Dragon Veins in the ground which enables to change the terrain. I have felt these weird Dragon Veins before in the ground, but did not know what it was until now. It feels like I was born with that ability." She had a confused expression on her face and looked down on her hands which Chrom gripped.

"It is an astonishing power and very useful. It just makes you more special."

"I-I'm not…" Vivianne looked bashfully at him, flustered by his comment but Chrom only chuckled.

"You are. Especially for me." He answered with a gentle expression, pulling her into his arms. Vivianne let out a content sigh and rested her head against his chest.

The war was taking its toll on everyone and yet Vivianne was happy to be with her husband, though her thoughts wandered more than often to her baby daughter left in the castle. She missed her terribly and wished she could hold her in her arms, even though it was impossible right now.

"What are you thinking about?" Chrom asked, his lips pressed to her head.

"About our baby." She replied. "I mean, practically she's here with us but I still miss her."

"I know you feel this way and I feel the same, but she's safe over there in the castle. I made sure she will be well guarded before we left. Once this war will be over, we can return to her." He stroked over Vivianne's head and she looked up to her husband with a nod. "I have to admit, even now I'm not entirely content with the fact you are accompanying us during those battles. I'd rather have you safe in the palace but not knowing what was happening to you would be a far worse feeling."

"That was the reason I insisted on coming along. My worry for you would make it impossible for me to rest. Besides, I don't want to leave your side."

"I feel the same." Chrom raised one hand and cupped her cheek with a loving look on his face. Seeing his face drawing closer, Vivianne closed her eyes and tilted her head up as their lips met. It was a faint kiss at first, their lips just slightly brushing against each other's and then it deepened into a more passionate one which took Vivianne's breath away. She gripped the fabric of Chrom's shirt and was happy he supported her with his arms, her legs felt like pudding. It was a long time ago since she had felt the passion between them flaming up and her husband seemed to have felt exactly the same.

Pulling away, Chrom leaned his forehead against hers and his nose touched hers gently.

"Let's continue this later, my love. When we are truly alone."

They smiled at each other and Vivianne had a blush across her cheeks, looking forwards to a night with her husband and returned back to the camp hand-in-hand and were joined by Lucina who was asking Vivianne excitedly about the mysterious power she has used.

As soon as the royal couple returned to the camp, an agitated soldier came running towards them.

"Milord! K-Khan Basilio… he… he has been killed in battle!"

"No!" Lucina shouted, hitting her hand before her mouth.

"Damn it!" Chrom shouted, his hand squeezing Vivianne's. "You're certain?"

"I am." Flavia soon joined them, a sorrowful expression on her face. "He's gone. Chrom, I saw him fall myself… He's gone…"

"What happened? Wait, you're hurt!" Chrom turned to Lucina who stared shocked at Flavia. "Lucina, fetch a healer at once!"

"That's twice now I have failed…" Lucina did not budge, her face twisted in horror.

"I'll be fine, gods damn me. Gods damn me for outliving that one-eyed clod! That big, bald oaf! That… that...arghh!" Flavia put her hand to her forehead and frowned, tears in her eyes. "I'll kill him! I'll cut that dastard Walhart down myself! I swear it before the gods!"

"No, Flavia… for now, you need to rest and heal. When the time is right, we will avenge Basilio. You have my word." Chrom shook his head and looked at her with a solemn expression.

"Then know what will hold you to it…" Flavia muttered, biting her bottom lip.

"Why did I let him go…" Lucina whispered to herself, looking to the side with a grave look on her face. Vivianne let go of Chrom's hand and walked over to her daughter, putting her arm around her shoulder to soothe her sorrow.

"Chrom, there's something else. Something important. Basilio asked I give you this." She rummaged through her pockets and held out a gem to Chrom who took it in his hand.

"Is that… I can feel its power resonating through my whole body."

"It's Gules, one of the Gemstones you need. Don't ask me why in hell's name the oaf hid it from you. He always did love his surprises, damn him."

"Whatever his reasons, I accept his gift now, and gladly." Chrom nodded and placed the gem into its setting in the Fire Emblem on his arm.

"It's hard to believe he's truly gone… The larger the man, the larger the void left in his wake." Flavia sighed heavily.

"And Khan Basilio was a titan. There is no replacing him." Lucina added, looking down on her feet. "I should have tried harder to convince him…"

"The scouts have reported back." Say'ri approached the small group. "Walhart's army… has retreated to the imperial capital."

"Retreated?!" Vivianne shouted in surprise, her eyes growing bigger.

"It seems the dynast turncloaks are withdrawing their soldiers as well."

"I don't believe it."

"Steiger and Yen'fay have fallen; it's no shock Walhart might pull back to regroup. And of course the dynasts now see cracks forming in the empire…" Say'ri muttered.

"Maybe they'll reconsider which side they will fight for?" Chrom asked, his hand cupping his chin.

"Possibly, if they can see an advantage in it for themselves. With them or not, it seems a decisive battle is upon us." Lucina shook her head, her hand on the hilt of Parallel Falchion.

"To think, how quickly our fortunes have shifted…"

"We have Basilio to thank for it." Vivianne added. "For all of it. His sacrifice made it all possible… If only there had been some other way…"

"No second guessing! Basilio would have hated that. You did your duty as best you were able, same as he. Now clear the doubts out of that clever head of yours - we're going to need it. The fate of Valm - and all our homelands - hangs on this next battle. For the sake of all our fallen comrades… We will bring this entire empire crashing down!" Flavia shouted, hitting her fist to her chest.

Chrom nodded and turned to the Shepherds around them who had stopped whatever they were doing and looked at them.

"Shepherds! Comrades! Soldiers! We make for the capital! This Conqueror's regin ends now!"

The morning three days later, the Shepherds reached the empire's capital and on their way there Tiki joined them who showed a great interest in Vivianne due to her connection to Aria, but as the tactician had her hands full with thinking of strategies, she had no time to talk with her.

Soon, they reached the throne room after forcing Walhart to retreat back into the castle.

"I see Walhart, still seated in his throne room. It doesn't seem like he's thinking about escape." Chrom said, his eyes scanning the enormous room.

"And his soldiers… They look ready to die before they surrender. One must admire their loyalty, at least." Vivianne replied standing next to him.

"He does inspire that in people. It's part of what makes him so dangerous."

"He inspires that in some people." Vivianne corrected him and Chrom looked lost in thoughts for a moment, but then nodded.

"Yes, in some. But not me."

He gave the Shepherds a sign and they invaded the throne room. Vivianne did her best in taking out the soldiers when suddenly Excellus stepped in her path to Walhart.

"You! You damned Ylissean tactician!" He was looking the same as when Vivianne saw him few days ago though his arm as well as a part of his face was burned from when he fell in the magma. "You have scarred my brilliant appearance with that gods damned ability of yours! And I was looked down on because of it! Damn you, I will kill you for that!"

Vivianne had no time to respond as he attacked her ferociously and she had just a moment time to erect a shield to block. She took a quick glance at Excellus's tome and noticed it was quite a powerful one but she knew no one could equal Orion. Gathering power in her hand she threw several light bolts at him which he could not dodge properly. The powerful attacks she used made him stumble backwards against a wall and Excellus tried to create a shield but Vivianne's magic broke through it, throwing him through the wall which crumbled under the force.

The Valmese tactician was now trapped under the debris of the fallen wall and shouted curses at Vivianne trying to get free, but she remained devot of emotion remembering how gleeful he was of Say'ri's grief. She raised her hand and created five swords of light which floated above Excellus, turning around so that the points were pointed at Excellus. Moving her hand downwards, the swords pierced through Excellus's body who screamed in pain. Vivianne watched Excellus's body twitch as he died, the blood splashing across the spot where he was lying and had a surprising sadistic emotion in her heart which shocked her.

Valmese soldiers attacked her but Vivianne overwhelmed them and felt a monstrous aura behind her which startled her. Turning around, she found herself facing Walhart who had an unreadable expression on his face.

"So you are the Ylissean tactician." He said. "You did a good job taking out Excellus, I was getting tired of him."

"Wha…" Vivianne was unable to answer and scrambled backwards, gripping her tome. Walhart did not use many words and he swung his huge axe at her and she jumped up, his axe tore through the column behind her and brought it to fall. She was surprised how easily he cut through stone and tried to block and counterattack, yet her attacks seemed not to work properly on him. Backed into a corner, Vivianne searched for a way out when he suddenly gripped her neck and pushed her high against a wall, his axe looming above her.

"You will fall here, just like your comrades and family…" He was about to continue but his words made Vivianne's stomach and heart clench. Anger started to rise in her.

He had threatened to murder her friends - her family. In her mind she saw the bloody corpses of her husband and children which made her body tremble in rage. It set something off in her and she heard the roar of a dragon; but it was neither Tiki's nor Nowi's or Nah's. It sounded way different than theirs and Vivianne started to see red.

She kicked out and it landed on Walhart's chest, throwing him backwards as he had looked at her in shock, almost as if he had seen a horrible demon right in front of him.

Vivianne landed back on her feet, kneeling down right away and she gripped her neck trying to gasp for air.

But Walhart was back on his feet and about to attack her when a loud clashing sound echoed through the room, sparks went flying and Chrom was standing right in front of his wife.

"Walhart!"

"Prince…" Walhart did not seem surprised and only frowned slightly.

"Will you surrender?"

"Don't waste my time with questions you know the answers to, boy."

"It did not have to be this way… You believed in mankind's strength… So did my sister. You believe of our destinies… So do I. You could have joined us." Chrom tried to reason with the Conqueror who had an angered expression on his face.

"Me, join you?! Does a pegasus join with the flea on its back? A dragon, with a cow it eats? You forget your place, boy! I am the Conqueror! I will untie the world!"

"No… I will. And not by forcing all the people to choose the sword or the knee. Peace will only come by stoking people's hearts… not their fear." Chrom had a similar expression to Walhart on his face.

"You think that's what you've done? What your sister did before you? No, she shouted some nonsense and leapt off a rock! Such weakness!"

"Wrong! Not weakness - strength. That one act lives on, and will live on, longer than all your conquests."

"And longer than you will… Come then, flea, and die for your peace!"

"Emm, I tried." Chrom sighed and then looked back to Vivianne who had scrambled to her feet. "Vivi, lend me your hand. Let us fight together for the world's peace."

"Yes!"

With their conjoined sword and magic, the two of them eventually managed to defeat Walhart who fell to the ground with a gurgle, his axe crashing in the floor with the blade.

"We defeated him." Vivianne puffed, heavily depleted of her magical energy.

"Yes…" Chrom sighed heavily. "I wish we could have solved it differently, but he hed to his faith stubbornly and it brought his downfall."

He turned around to Vivianne and reached out his hand, touching the marks on her neck which were left there by Walhart.

"He has hurt you… thinking about it I just couldn't go more easy on him." Chrom shook his head, but Vivianne smiling gripping his hand.

"It's all right. Please don't worry."

"Milord!" Frederick came running up to them alongside Lucina and Say'ri. "Walhart's soldiers have agreed to cease hostilities."

"Finally…" Chrom frowned. "Then pull our men back immediately. It's strange, Frederick. Walhart and my sister were complete opposites. One gave her life to stop a war. The other took lives to create one. And yet they both inspired those around them; both walked a path to end all war. Both lived, and died, trying to unite the people."

"Yes, Father. But as they say, the method is the message. Your father suffered from beliefs similar to Walhart, and his legacy is plain to see…"

"Hm… these are matters too weighty for this moment. There will be plenty of time for reflection now that the war is gone."

"Sir Chrom." Say'ri spoke up. "A thousand thanks from every Valmese couldn't repay what you did for us. But I recovered Vert, the Gemstones that was stolen from Chon'sin as a trophy." She held out a green gemstone.

"You're giving it to me?"

"Of course, sir. It seems the fell dragon will soon threaten us all. I would feel safer knowing the Gemstone was in your hands."

"Then so will be. Thank you, Say'ri." Chrom put the gemstone into the Fire Emblem; only one was missing now.

Later, the Shepherds gathered in their camp and celebrated their victory as the sun was setting behind the trees. Sitting on a log near the campfire with a mug in her hands, Vivianne watched her friends talking excitedly about their deed in the battles. Virion was bragging how his arrows took down ten Valmese soldiers at once and Kjelle told her mother how her armor withstood everything without even a single scratch. Not far away from her, the twins were standing in a little group with Cynthia, Owain, Inigo and Noire talking how they were the heroes of the war. Cynthia got especially ecstatic at the word heroes.

It had something calming to hear her friends chat like that and she took a sip of the medicine-filled tea she had been given to heal the choking marks on her neck, but it was incredibly disgusting so that she almost spit it out again.

"Here, put that inside." A hand suddenly reached her a small jar with a viscous golden liquid and Vivianne looked up to see Cherche smiling at her. "This honey going to sweeten the medicine a bit so it wouldn't taste that disgusting."

"Oh thank you." Vivianne placed the mug between her thighs and reached for the jar of honey. Cherche sat down next to her and chuckled.

"Everyone is so happy the war is finally over. It's great to see everyone having a smile on their faces. Even Minerva is smiling." Cherche looked over to her Wyvern which seemed to converse with her future self in a joyous way.

"Yes, now everyone can let down their hair a little and relax." Vivianne kept pouring honey into the tea until she found it bearable enough to drink. The two of them kept chatting and soon others joined them and Vaike pushed a mug filled with liquor in Vivianne's hands so that she could join the celebrations. She was not used to alcohol as she hadn't that many chances to drink it - the last time during her wedding with Chrom where she had drank a few glasses of wine - and as such she did not have much resistance against it so that after only a mug of booze, she was already tipsy.

Feeling a bit light-headed she returned to her tent, her hand on her forehead, there she took off her battlecloak which was full with dirt and blood and put it on her bag.

Vivianne plopped down on the camping bed with a heavy sigh and stretched her limbs. Of course they had a difficult battle ahead of them against the Grimleal to stop them from resurrecting Grima - especially if she would have to face Validar again, or even Plegia's hierophant.

"Sleeping already?" Hearing Chrom's voice Vivianne turned around to the entrance and her husband walked into the tent, his face slightly flushed.

"No, I was just relaxing." She shook her head and sat up as he walked over to her. "Are you drunk, Chrom?"

"No, I'm not." He replied with a smile and sat down next to his wife, grabbing her hand and put his arm around her shoulder."The war is finally over and now we are alone. I won't let anything stop us."

"Uh… C-Chrom?" Not used to Chrom behaving like that, Vivianne was about to slide away but he tightened his grip on her. She figured out he must be a little bit drunk and it was a new side she saw of him which surprised her.

"Don't run away. I wasn't able to touch you for such a long time and I just want to feel you." He said, making puppy dog eyes which made Vivianne's heart jump. It made her happy to see a more vulnerable side of him and to see how he acted when he was drunk and so she played along.

"I'm not running away. I was just a little bit surprised." She answered and cupped his cheeks, moving closer. The two of them closed their eyes as she pressed her lips against his. Chrom's arms moved around her and pulled her closer against him so that she was held tightly in his arms. Their kisses grew deeper and more passionate and Chrom pushed Vivianne back so that she was on her back with him hovering above her.

"B-but Chrom, the others could hear us." She said shyly, but Chrom only showed her an encouraging grin.

"Don't worry, they are occupied with the party and won't notice us if you keep your voice down. Let us celebrate alone together, dear." With that, Chrom moved to kiss her whispering that he loved her.

Following the conclusion of the war, the royal couple spent a passionate night together as their way of celebrating their victory.


	13. Chapter XII

**Chapter XII**

Days later, the Shepherds returned to Ylisstol and the first thing Vivianne did was to go and see her baby daughter.

The closer they were to Ylisstol the more agitated Vivianne became, she was looking forwards to see her daughter; she must have grown a lot during the weeks she was away and is probably very lively.

As soon as she put a foot on the palace grounds, Vivianne broke away from the Shepherds and rushed to the courtyard as she heard the wet nurse was there with baby Lucina, leaving Chrom to deal with all the duties.

The wet nurse already spotted Vivianne when she entered the courtyard and smiled down at the baby in her arms before heading over to the Ylissean queen.

"Welcome back, milady." She had a smile on her face and little Lucina turned to look at Vivianne with a curious expression.

Just as Vivianne did expect, she did grow a lot though she still looked like the little adorable baby she was.

"You have grown so much…" Vivianne smiled at Lucina and held out her hands. "Come to mommy?"

A big smile formed on her daughter's face as she held out her small arms towards her mother and Vivianne took her out of the wet nurse's arms into her own. Lucina did weigh more than she did the last time Vivianne held her in her arms but as she was a half year old now, it was normal. Her hair has also grew longer and she was wearing the baby clothes her older self has bought.

"You're still so cute. Well, even your older self is cute, but you're cute like a baby should be." Vivianne smiled a gentle smile and kissed Lucina's forehead which made the infant giggle.

"Ma-ma…"

"Hehe. Yes, dear?" She knew it was just usual baby talk as baby Lucina was not old enough to start learning how to talk, but it still sounded like she called Vivianne Mama.

After all these battles, it was a blessing to come back home and see her daughter and she felt pure joy holding her baby in her arms. The baby clothes Lucina had bought were a bit too big on her, but at least she could wear it more often until she grew out of them.

"Want to see daddy?" She asked Lucina who made a sound which sounded like an affirmation and so she headed over to the Shepherd garnison to see Chrom.

On her way there she was stopped by several of the Shepherd women who were gushing over Lucina but the baby girl refused to be taken into other arms than her mother's so Vivianne headed into the common room of the garnison and saw the children grouped together in a corner, though Gerome was standing a bit farther away and seemed to only listen to his friends talking.

Moving closer Vivianne heard them talking how nice a peaceful Ylisstol was and entirely different from Ylisse's capital in their timeline. It hurt Vivianne to hear them talk like this, but as she was already determined to give her children nice memories here in return to those she lost, she was content they were happy.

"It should be more difficult for us to move freely around here, after all others might not see us as our parents children as we are too old to have such young parents." Laurent rose his glasses and it made Vivianne smile.

"Do not fear, we have already told everyone in the palace about you and the soldiers do already know." She reassured them and the ones who were standing with their backs to Vivianne turned around.

"That's more helpful." Laurent added and glanced at the baby in Vivianne's arms who looked back in a similar curiosity at them.

"Oh, that's…" Morgana standing next to her peered in baby Lucina's face who hid her face shyly in the crook of her mother's neck.

"Heh, it seems like Lucina was more shy as a baby." Cynthia smiled and held out her hands. "Can I hold her?"

"C-Cynthia!" Older Lucina shouted, but Cynthia ignored her and surprisingly, baby Lucina let the children of the Shepherds hold her.

"Come to little older bro Morgan!" Morgan then took Lucina out of Severa's arms who complained about it and squeezed her in his arms. As he was squeezing her a bit too hard, baby Lucina started to cry which startled her brother.

"W-what's wrong?!"

"You're squeezing her too much, Morgan. Babies are fragile, you shouldn't treat them too roughly. Loosen your hold a little bit." Vivianne told her son and he obeyed which made Lucina stop crying immediately.

"Watch out a little, Morgan." Morgana scolded and Morgan shot an apologetic smile at baby Lucina who looked over to her older self and reached out her hands to her.

"Uh…" Lucina looked surprised at her younger self and so Morgan held her out to Lucina who took herself into her arms with a timid smile.

"Wearing those baby clothes…" She whispered and played around with little Lucina for a bit, Vivianne could see she felt slightly uncomfortable to hold herself and as the children still had things to do Vivianne took Lucina back and went to search for Chrom.

She found her husband in the training hall speaking with Frederick and approached him as soon as he finished speaking with his lieutenant.

"Chrom."

He turned around as he heard his wife call out to her and smiled seeing his daughter in Vivianne's arms.

"Look how happy she is to see you." Vivianne said and put Lucina in Chrom's arms and he lovingly hugged the baby girl and stroked over her head.

"She has grew a lot during the time we have been absent. And she grew cuter." He kissed Lucina's forehead and the infant giggled in delight.

"She did." Vivianne smiled at her husband and child and watched the exchange, happy beyond words and even told Chrom she had let older Lucina hold her which made him laugh as he could imagine her expression.

"By the way, I have sent Frederick to search for Sable. I hope his search bears fruit."

"As do I."

Later the Shepherds all gathered in the dining hall of the garnison to eat dinner together and Vivianne was sitting between Chrom and Lucina with baby Lucina on her lap, having finished feeding her baby daughter and now wiped her mouth and little hands clean. The older Lucina was looking at her doings with awe, almost as if it surprised her how much her mother was doting on her.

As it was late, baby Lucina has started to yawn more and so Vivianne decided to put her to bed though the wet nurse offered to do that for her once she reached Lucina's room, Vivianne insisted on putting Lucina to sleep herself. Changing her child into her sleeping clothes, she wrapped Lucina in a blue blanket bearing the Mark of Naga and cuddled her against her chest, the baby's head resting in the crook of Vivianne's neck.

Rocking softly, Vivianne sung a song she couldn't recall where she learned and yet gave her a feeling of melancholy and calmness.

"You are the ocean's gray waves, destined to seek life beyond the shore just out of reach…" She sung it more quietly and softly to lull Lucina into sleep but as she did, she once again wondered who taught her that song. Lucina and the twins have told her they loved whenever she had sung them the lullaby but she has never told them who has taught her that song.

Yet, as she thought about it something appeared in the back of her mind and Vivianne strongly focused on it, eventually it revealed a small memory. A woman with very long aqua-colored hair and yellow eyes wearing a white and blue dress was sitting next to her, holding a small baby with the same hair color as hers in her arms and a boy around five years of age was sitting next to her looking very similar to her. Even without further memories, Vivianne knew right away who that woman and the children were; her mother's cousin Azura and her children Forrest and Shigure.

Vivianne's head started to hurt, but she ignored it as she was happy she recalled who has taught her the song. But with that memory, a feeling of sadness filled her.

But as she continued to sing, it felt like something within her split and she remembered huge castle grounds filled with various facilities and a huge palace in the back. It was attacked once, by weird semi-invisible creatures while the adults were out. The caretakers couldn't take care of them as they were too powerful and Vivianne remembered a boy being attacked - he looked very similar to Vivianne, with slightly curly azure hair and brown eyes and similar facial features like hers - so she ran to protect him and blasted those weird creatures away with the help of Orion. Yet, they were too many for her to handle but soon a man with blonde hair wearing a cavalier armor arrived and saved them with a special sword he carried. Dismounting his steed he rushed over to the children with a serious yet worried expression and took them into his arms.

Vivianne stopped singing for a moment, but as Lucina was already asleep it did not bother her, and hung her head with a sorrowful expression while biting her lower lip.

She did not only remember her aunt and cousins today, but also her twin brother and father. At first she couldn't recall her brother's name, but remembered it was Siegbert and before she knew she started crying silently, still holding her baby in her arms.

For some reason, every memory from her past she regains makes her feel sad and a feeling of dread spread within her.

After crying for a while, Vivianne finally calmed down and put Lucina into her crib, stroking over her cheek and pulled the covers over her small body. Leaning forwards, she kissed the baby's forehead and left the room which was located next to the master bedroom belonging to Vivianne and Chrom.

Her thoughts were drifting in her head, mainly thinking about her parents and brother whom she finally remembered and she wondered how they have felt when she was abducted, if they were still thinking about her right now or if they did forget her. Maybe they weren't missing her at all, or they would have came for her instead of letting her being all alone.

The thoughts started to grow more negative and she Vivianne shook her head as she passed two sculptures in the hall which she never really gave attention - but this time she stopped and walked backwards to look at them. Lissa once mentioned those were sculptures of twin dragons which were hailed as gods; thousands of years ago they linked all the worlds there are together and created Portals to reach them which is why they could reach the Outrealms now. But looking at them now, Vivianne had a feeling she saw them before. Somehow the male god reminded her of her mother while the female one looked somehow like Aria. She remembered reading in some books that those two were mostly depicted in their dragon forms, with their human forms displayed rarely. Looking closer at the inscription below their feet, she read Anankos, the Dragon of Wisdom and Arcardia, the Dragon of Destruction. She did know that her tome Orion was said to have been created by Arcardia, but the male statue was holding the tome while the female held a sword almost as long as herself. Also, the name Anankos made her feel melancholy. She must have heard it somewhere before, maybe her parents have mentioned it or one of her parents' friends.

She shook her head, deciding to not think about it too much and walked down the hall to go and see her family and friends who were most probably still in the dining hall of the Shepherd garnison.

Days have passed and yet there were no news about the final gemstone and Vivianne was plagued by nightmares of a huge black dragon destroying the world which she kept to herself. She doesn't wanted to bother anyone with her weird dreams.

Reaching the Shepherd garnison where Chrom was, she saw him deeply lost in thoughts.

"I know that face." She said as she approached him. "Duelling with unpleasant thoughts, are we?"

"You know me well, Vivi."

"Heh, I remember when Lissa first brought me here… when I met all the Shepherds. And Sumia… Heh." She giggled, remembering the day she was introduced to her friends, it had felt like a real first memory. "In a way, that's my first memory."

"Heh, I suppose so. I wish all our memories since could have been joyful." Chrom sighed heavily and grasped for his wife's hand.

"I know… so much needless bloodshed. So many days of pain and doubt and fighting… We would have never made it without you to guide us, you know." Vivianne added with a smile at Chrom who chuckled.

"Funny. I was going to say the same about you."

"I guess we really are two halves of a whole." Vivianne felt her heart jump at Chrom's gentle expression and he leaned forward to kiss her.

"I've been reading more about the Awakening ritual." He then told her. "It seems that whoever attempts the rite must brave Naga's fire. If both body and spirit survive the agony, they are blessed with the dragon's power. Otherwise, the candidate...dies." He frowned when suddenly a voice from behind gasped.

"What? No!" Lucina came running up to them. "Father, must you attempt this?"

"Eavesdropping, young lady?" Chrom turned to her and Lucina winced with a flustered expression.

"Forgive me, Father. I didn't intend to… I came to speak with you, but I couldn't find the right moment and…"

"It's all right, Lucina. And yes, I'll be all right, too. I will withstand Naga's fire. I'm sure of it." He reassured his daughter and patted her head.

Suddenly, Frederick walked into the room with a grave expression.

"Did you find it, Frederick?"

"I believe so, sire. King Validar has extended an invitation. He says Plegia has been guarding Sable, and now he wishes to return it to you."

"Validar…" Vivianne muttered disgusted, she could sense it was a trap - it sounded just too fishy.

"They sent word to me, milord. They must have caught wind of my search… In any case, Validar asks that you and Lady Vivianne visit him in person, that he might formally present it. Perhaps needless to say, milord, but I don't like this one bit."

"Neither do I. At best it's selfish political maneuvering at a time when the world can ill afford it. At worst, out run-in with those Risen last visit was no accident… But we will meet him. Send word at once." Chrom rubbed his forehead with a partly annoyed, partly serious expression.

"Milord, are you… certain that's wise?"

"No, but we haven't time to be certain… any my sister never refused a diplomatic gesture, no matter how foul smelling. If he doesn't give us the stone, he may at least reveal where it is. Don't worry, Frederick. I'm not walking into this blindly. We will make certain everyone is armed to the teeth."

"Then the Fire Emblem, milord… you ought at least leave it behind." Frederick said with his arms behind his back, eyeing the Fire Emblem on Chrom's arm.

"Unless that's what Validar expects, and he comes to steal it with my best men away… No, it's safest with me, for now. We'll learn the truth of Validar's motive soon enough…" He looked over to Vivianne who had a grim expression on her face, obviously not liking the fact they were going into a trap.


	14. Chapter XIII

**Chapter XIII**

Not long later the Shepherds reached Plegia and Lucina noticed that the dragon bones right outside the castle looked very similar to Grima. Some soldiers outside of the palace showed them into the castle and Vivianne saw someone move in the shadows. "Psst, Chrom." She whispered to her husband and moved closer. "Trouble?"  
"I saw armed soldiers hiding in the shadows as we were shown in." She muttered and Chrom sighed.  
"Then it sounds like we have our answer already…"  
They stopped as they reached the throne hall and soon, Validar and Aversa "Well met, milord." Aversa had a sneer on her face as she looked at Chrom and Vivianne who were wary of them. "Prince Chrom! Welcome!"  
"...I was told you had something you wished to give me." Chrom said with a serious expression, holding his arm before Vivianne who felt anger rise seeing him.  
"My my! No time for courtesy, milord? Such impatience… Do you really want it that badly? This concerns me. The Gemstones and the Fire Emblem can be… treacherous artifacts. A fact Plegia and the Grimleal sadly know all too well." Validar answered with his eyes on the Fire Emblem, almost as if he was checking if it was the real one.  
"Sadly? You speak ill of when the first exalt used them against the fell dragon?" Lucina spoke up and Validar frowned.  
"Yes I do, intruder!"  
"...Intruder?"  
"You are not supposed to be here. You must be destroyed!" He made a step forwards, but Chrom and Vivianne quickly stepped in front of Lucina to protect their daughter.  
"You wouldn't dare!" Chrom hissed angrily.  
"Give me the Fire Emblem!"  
"You mad scoundrel! This is a declaration of war!" Lucina shouted angrily, but Validar seemed not to listen.  
"I will only ask one last time: give me the Emblem. NOW!"  
"Never." Chrom only replied with a cold expression.  
"Then this parley is over. Guards! Seize them!" Validar held out his hand and so many Plegian soldiers appeared out of the shadows armed with many different weapons.  
"Chrom, this way! Quickly!" Vivianne shouted; she had remembered the outlay of the Plegian castle from the last time and so devised a quick plan how to escape. Battling their way through many different soldiers, the Shepherds moved closer to the entrance.  
"Almost there!" Chrom shouted. "The exit is just… wait, do you feel…"  
He had no chance to continue as Validar appeared right in front of them in a purple light, moving in a circle so that he attacked Chrom but the Ylissean king quickly moved away.  
"Run all you like, you can't escape fate. Don't you know that?" Validar grinned a vicious smile.  
"Father!" Lucina shouted and rushed to his side, her hand on his shoulder.  
"The Fire Emblem. Give it freely, or it will be taken."  
"Just try it!" Chrom shouted and Validar made a sign with his hand towards Vivianne who suddenly felt her right hand and heart burn, almost as if it was set on fire and a loud ringing echoed in her ears. "Arrgh!" Her body suddenly started to move on its own and gripped her head, hobbling over to Chrom who backed away.  
"Vivianne?"  
"N-no, I… argh!" "Vivianne, what are you doing?"  
But she was unable to answer, the headache was just too much and she noticed her moving towards Chrom and she forcefully grabbed the Fire Emblem from her husband as she tried to get the control over her body back and she was almost able to regain her body when Validar snatched the Fire Emblem out of her hands. "Well done. At last, the Fire Emblem belongs to me. And with my Gemstone, it is complete! Now, to set the Table and perform the rite…" Validar laughed gleefully and disappeared. "Damn you, Validar!" Chrom shouted and Vivianne next to him stared at her hands, unable to understand how Validar managed to control her. "What have I done…?" She whispered in shock.  
"Vivianne! We have to go!"  
"Chrom, I'm sorry! I don't know what came over me… I'm sorry!" She apologized, tearing up but Chrom only shook his head.  
"I know you are, but right now we need to focus on getting out of here!" He shouted and grabbed Vivianne's hand to pull her along as she refused to move.  
Once they reached the field outside of the castle they stopped and Chrom looked over to his wife who was silent.  
"What I did...it's… it's unforgivable." Vivianne muttered but Chrom only squeezed her hand and looked sternly at her.  
"Enough of that! Save you energy for helping us track him down." "No, I… You must leave me behind… he could use me again. I can't be trusted!" "But he never had full control. You can fight it, if he expects you to blindly obey, that might be the surprise we need." Chrom tried his best to cheer up his wife who was looking down at her feet with a tearful expression.  
"Chrom, you… you put too much faith in me."  
"Get back on that horse, Vivianne. You can't give up now!" Frederick behind them said and Vivianne sighed.  
"But you're not listening! I told you, I'm not…"  
"The deed is done. But you can still try to undo the damage. It's not too late!" Chrom pulled Vivianne into his arms and embraced her tightly to soothe her, but Vivianne was not able to answer. She has done something truly terrible and should not be forgiven. There was something in the back of her mind and she wondered what it was, almost like a memory. Once the Shepherds returned to their camp, Vivianne walked away from them and watched the winds make the leaves on the branches high up sway. She was still thinking what has happened before, and was trying to focus on the memory in the back of her mind which felt like a suppressed one and yet she was curious what it was.  
"Beg pardon, Mother. Might I have a word?" Lucina walked up to her and Vivianne turned around to her. Her daughter winced back seeing Vivianne's sorrowful expression, but then put her hand on Parallel Falchion and looked serious.  
"Lucina, what is it?"  
"It's about Father. I have memories of him, you know. From when I was little. Before he… died." Lucina frowned, a sad expression on her face.  
"I see…"  
"He was courageous, and kind, and everyone spoke fondly of him. People say he was brave up until the very end. I always yearned to know him better. And now that I do… I can see that the world will be robbed of a very great man… I won't allow that to happen." Lucina had a fond expression on her face and Vivianne smiled.  
"I understand. You love him…" She paused. "As do I."  
"Mother… I…" Lucina looked hesitant. "Please, forgive me."  
Lucina grabbed the hilt of her Falchion and pointed it at Vivianne who stepped backwards with a shocked expression.  
"Lucina?!"  
"Stay where you are, Mother! I have no choice. I must kill you!"  
"What?! What madness is this?!" Vivianne shouted, fearing Validar might control her daughter for a moment, but from the look in Lucina's eyes she saw it was her daughter's decision to do that.  
"In my future… you kill Father."  
"No! That's insane! Why should I kill my husband?!" "I was not certain myself, until now… I knew he had been killed by his closest friend. Having witnessed your bond with him, I doubted it could be so… But today's events make it clear. You're at Validar's mercy. I suspect it's he who forces you to take Father's life and very soon…" Lucina stopped talking, her eyes filled with tears and her hand on Falchion was trembling.  
"Lucina, wait."  
"If Father is right, then we can change our fates. If this dark future is to be averted, sacrifices must be made. I am sorry, Mother! I know this is matricide, I… I know that…" Lucina sobbed, gritting her teeth and Falchion was trembling as she pointed it at her mother.  
"Don't make it harder! It… it will be swift and painless. If you hold any love for Father, then let this be done…"  
Vivianne watched her agonized daughter, she could see the pain and sorrow in her eyes and realized Lucina truly doesn't wanted to do that, but she did that for her father. Closing her eyes for a moment, she then smiled gently at her daughter.  
"My life is yours. It always has been."  
"D-don't say that, Mother! Don't!" Lucina shook her head energetically. "That only… makes it harder…"  
"I would give my life for Chrom… and for you." Vivianne showed her daughter a soothing smile, she knew how much pain Lucina must feel and wanted her to feel better.  
"Mother, please."  
"I know you will be quick about it. I love you, Lucina. I'm ready, do what you must." Vivianne reached out her arms and noticed Lucina tried to say something, but only stuttered and then lowered her sword.  
"Damn me! I can't do it! I love you too much! I'm sorry Mother!" She let go of Falchion and ran in Vivianne's arms, hugging her tightly as she cried. "I'm so sorry. P-please forgive me!"  
"My poor girl. There's nothing to forgive." Vivianne answered and cuddled Lucina, stroking over her head.  
"I… I have done something truly horrible! I was about to take away my younger self's mother! I almost erased my beloved brother and sister's life! I… I…" Lucina hid her face in her hands and Vivianne put her hands over Lucina's and pulled them away, wiping the tears away with her thumbs. "You haven't done anything horrible. You just had your best interests at hand; to save the life of your father." Vivianne smiled lovingly at her. "There's no need to cry. Now show me your smile.  
"M-Mother…" Lucina muttered and then showed her a faint smirk, wiping the tears away with her sleeve.  
"Are you done, Lucina?" Suddenly Chrom emerged from behind a tree and approached both of them.  
"Father! I… I can explain…" Lucina shouted, grabbing her Falchion and put it back in the sheath. "No need. You're not the only one who can eavesdrop. I heard your every word. Lucina, I know your heart is in the right place… But I trust Vivi. You cannot shake my faith her. Vivianne and I have held fast through good times and ill… We swore to be two halves of a greater whole. You underestimate the strength of those ties, the bonds we share. I believe in them more than some foretold destiny." Chrom explained and Vivianne felt touched upon hearing his words, her heart was beating faster.  
"This is easier to say when you haven't seen it yourself…" Lucina muttered.  
"Lucina, aren't your ties stronger here now than they were in your future? You said so yourself. In this flow of time we are bound tighter than ever, you and I. Not just as father and daughter… But as friends. We can change things - we already have… and we will again." Chrom looked steadfast at his daughter who was trembling as she looked at her feet and sighed.  
"Very well, Father." She turned her head to Vivianne. "Mother… I...I hope someday you will find it in your heart to forgive me… And I pray… That is, I trust the both of you will prove me wrong. That the future will crack and fall apart before our family bond ever does."  
The three of them returned to the camp where everyone was preparing to get ready to battle Validar's forces and Morgana and Morgan came running up to Lucina, they have apparently heard what has happened and scolded their sister for not thinking carefully what she was about to do.  
"Are you all right?" Chrom came over to his wife and grabbed her hand.  
"Y-yes. It's just… I have a favor to ask first, Chrom."  
"As long as it's not a request to leave you behind." "It's not… though I did consider it. I can't hurt you if I'm not there in the first place. But… I can't run from Validar forever. And if I'm going to overcome him, my best chance is with you by my side." Vivianne had a serious expression, looking at Chrom.  
"That's more like it." Chrom smiled and raised his hand to stroke over her cheek.  
"But therein lies the favor… If Validar somehow does gain control over me… Promise me… promise me you'll cut me down…" She saw Chrom's face distorting in horror and he stepped back.  
"You can't mean that. You can't ask that!"  
"I'll resist him with all that I am. I promise you. But there are other people involved here - too many people to ignore, you have a duty to protect them as well." "No, I can't do that. I can't cut you down, you can't expect me to murder my wife!" "But if there's no other way…"  
"No, Vivianne. I will not do it. I just beg you to keep resisting him, to keep the control over your own body." With that Chrom walked away and Vivianne could tell the request must have hurt him, but there was no other way. She would rather die at the hands of the man she loves than anyone else's - or letting him die. And so the Shepherds headed out to the table and were awaited by Aversa, but Vivianne's frustration at not being able to do anything against Validar overcame her and she destroyed Validar's right hand before heading further inside together with Chrom.  
"Validar!" "Come to witness the glorious culmination of your failure? How nice. I will return Grima to this world!" Validar was standing on a pedestal in the back of the hall with a triumphant expression on his face.  
"You'll destroy the world! Lucina has seen it!"  
"Then I pray today's spectacles live up to her nightmares! The Awakening rite is not only for exalts and Naga, you know. With it, I'll arouse Grima! The fell dragon needs only a mortal vessel which carries his heart, which you so kindly brought along…" Validar looked over to Vivianne who winced and held her breath.  
"Oh gods… he means me…"  
"Indeed."  
"No never, I'll die first! I can't be Grima!"  
"Oh, you are. We were unable to produce a child with the Heart of Grima in it, either our own or a kidnapped one as the power was too much - until a kind ally has told us about a child with powers which would withstand the heart; you. A little princess from Nohr yet with such outstanding powers we just had to take you as Grima's vessel. It would have worked out until the end, but that damned Robin took you away!" Validar snorted angrily. "You did a good job escaping from us all those years and we should be happy those powers of yours still haven't awoken so that it would thwart Grima's awakening!"  
"N-No…" Vivianne grasped her head, her mind was spinning and it felt like a dam was breaking. She remembered once again how she escaped the Grimleal… and how she was fleeing almost her entire life. Every time she was able to rest for a little, the Grimleal caught up to her and she was forced to flee again. Sometimes she had no chance to eat or sleep and for her, it felt like hell until… until she found a place - a sanctuary in the form of a shrine - to hide. "Vivianne… we are going to stop this. This can be stopped. You can be stopped." Chrom put a hand on Vivianne's shoulder, looking from her to Validar who had a sneer on his face.  
"You may have killed me in some future past, but I am stronger this time! With the power of the Dragon's Table flowing through me, I am unstoppable."  
"You're not the only one stronger this time! Right, Vivi?" He looked over to her but she was still gripping her head. "... Right?"  
"Ngh…"  
"Stay with me, Vivianne! You're not beholden to this fiend! You can fight it! We've all seen how strong you are! We've seen what you're capable of! Don't let him shake your resolve!" Chrom shouted, his hands on Vivianne's shoulders who recalled someone once saying similar things to her - but who?  
"C-Chrom… I don't know…"  
"Enough! This sorry display ill befits the heir to our master's power. And you, Prince - your sad poem sounds lovely, but it will not alter destiny!"  
"They're more than just words!" Vivianne straightened and screamed, she could recall that similar words were told her by a female voice when she was hiding away in the twin dragons's shrine deep in the mountains. "I am not Grima, as I am myself! My life started with Chrom, not when you implanted that gods damned heart in me! I have been all around the world, and helped to change it - for the better! I have fought and laughed and bled with my friends, and that is what matters! The ties we forged, the bonds we share - they are of a power greater than Grima!"  
As she screamed, she could feel something stir within her, resonating with her emotions. Her heart and hand started to heat up again - but this time it wasn't an unpleasant burn like when Validar controlled her, it felt like something was starting to be erased from her and it seemed to startle Validar.  
"A ludicrous idea, as you will know better than anyone soon enough…" Validar frowned, his eyes big as he watched her.  
"We do agree on one thing: my life so far has been preparation for this moment - when I kill you or die trying!"  
She rushed towards Validar who tried to block her by a special barrier, but Vivianne was too fast and she reached the Grimleal in just a few steps, kicking him across the room. The hatred and rage was burning brightly in her and she wanted to be the one to take Validar out. She will not let him destroy the world by calling forth Grima - she would rather die. The heat in her body grew even more as she had a magical duel with him - the man who has kidnapped her when she has been a little child. Taken her away from her parents and her brother whom she never got to meet again. She remembered the day when she was kidnapped by him, she had been talking with her mother how she was sitting too much inside and should be playing outside with her friends and once her mother left, Validar took her away.  
Validar's attack made Vivianne slither backwards and he laughed.  
"Don't be foolish girl! No one can stop me!" He shouted when he was interrupted by Basilio whose appearance surprised both Validar and the other Shepherds and he told Validar that the gemstones in the Fire Emblem weren't the real ones but fakes Vivianne has created. Validar screeched once he realized he had been tricked and attacked Vivianne but she pierced him right through the stomach high to the wall. She wanted to see him suffer, it would have been a satisfaction after all those horrors she went through because of him. But in the end she killed him and gained enough satisfaction from watching him dying.  
"We did it!" Chrom shouted from behind. "We did it, Vivi! We altered our destiny… We… we won…"  
Vivianne suddenly felt strong arms hugging her from behind and when she turned her head she saw a big smile on Chrom's lips.  
However, the Plegian hierophant appeared all of the sudden and Chrom let go of his wife, stepping right in front of her.  
"You!" Vivianne shouted.  
"You may have altered the course of history, but not its destination."  
"What do you mean?" Vivianne asked, looking shocked.  
"It is still written that Chrom died here at your hands. Or perhaps to be more precise… mine. As I am Vivianne. The Vivianne who killed you and became Grima. When this Marth of yours decided to come back in time… I came with her." Grima sneered.  
"Y-you are me…?"  
"Yes, the only difference is the decisions we made. The vivid dreams you have - those are my memories. We share them because we share the same heart. Yet, from what I see now you work differently on those powers of you. Damn that blood of Anankos running through your veins. If not for it, you would have been the perfect vessel - but I fear you wouldn't have been able to withstand my heart then. I will keep my future secured… if you will not claim the sacrifice laid at the Dragon's Table… I will claim it in your place!" Grima laughed and was surrounded by a dark purple aura, disappearing in it.  
"W-what?!"  
"The fell dragon and I are one! And though my journey through time has diminished the power… the life force here shall renew me!" Vivianne shouted to her allies to run away as she fixated her eyes on the Fire Emblem and ran towards it; maybe they still could call for Naga with it. As Grima was encompassed by bright light, Vivianne forced the Fire Emblem out of the socket and watched her Alter-Ego become a black dragon, looming over the Dragon's Table. As the dragon was wreaking destruction its shadow looming over them as if night has fallen, Vivianne rushed outside to her friends with the Fire Emblem in hands. Holding it she noticed the Mark of Grima on her hand shinging in an azure light but ignored it for now.  
"And it was lost inside the Dragon's Table… I know." Chrom said and Vivianne noticed they were talking about the Fire Emblem.  
"What, do you mean this Fire Emblem?" She said with a small smile and showed it Chrom who shot her a surprised expression.  
"The Emblem! But how…"  
"I stole it from you once, remember? The last I could do was steal it back." She replied and handed him the important artifact which Chrom attached back to his arm.  
"Vivi, you sly cat. You never cease to amaze! Quickly now! We must complete the Awakening before Grima catches on!" Chrom laughed and was to grab Vivianne's hand who recalled the conversation with Validar and Grima before and winced back.  
"It's said the first exalt paid tribute to Naga at a site on Mount Prism." Frederick added. " There is an altar at the peak of the mountain. If milord would perform the Awakening, it must be done there."  
"A small hope is better than no hope at all. Hurry, everyone!" With that, the group returned to the camp to decamp.


	15. Chapter XIV

**Chapter XIV**

During their voyage to the sacred mountain, the Shepherds encountered more allies though the surprise that Emmeryn were still alive was the biggest of all. Emmeryn might not have her memories and was unable to talk properly, but Chrom and the others were still having her back. Yet, Emmeryn's reappearance wasn't the most surprising one as even Walhart, Yen'fay and Gangrel turned out to be fine and joined the Shepherds. The last one to be recruited was the descendant of the Radiant Hero Ike, Priam who showed great interest in their doings and decided to join.

Shortly before reaching their destination, they decided to take a short break and Vivianne watched her friends from far away, she did not dare to come too close to them.

She felt incredibly disgusting knowing she was Grima and wanted to rip her skin off her flesh, almost like she could remove it this way. Standing by the trees further away from the camp, she watched her husband and close friends frolicking around Emmeryn who seemed slightly nervous about the situation and smiled.

Yet, knowing that she was the one who had actually made everyone lives hell, she somehow had a feeling she did not belonged to their side anymore - no, she never belonged to them. She was not from here, she never belonged to their side from the beginning.

Biting her bottom lip, she turned away from the Shepherds and retreated deeper into the woods scratching on her right hand as if to remove the mark on there but of course it did not work.

Chopping her way through the undergrowth she eventually reached a small stream and sat down on one of the rocks by the shore, looking at her hands in her lap.

She was starting to think about the entire situation; Grima was revived because the Vivianne from the future - the one who became Grima - has accomplished the Awakening Ritual and now they all were in danger. And even though it hadn't been really her, Vivianne loathed herself for it. She scratched harder on her skin, blood seeping through the scratches.

"Did I know… about me being Grima…?" She whispered to herself. She really wished she could remember as she wanted to know everything about herself, yet the memories she regained told her she wasn't really that happy here.

Taken away from her parents, left all alone in this world - she could imagine how life would have been for her. Also, sitting there all alone and starting to feel lonely, she recalled that she mostly felt painfully lonely before meeting Chrom. Extremely lonely, as she had no one to talk to, no opportunities to make friends, no real home which eventually made her devoid of all emotions.

She sighed, hanging her head.

If she wouldn't have the strong sense of defeating Grima, she probably would have taken her life right here and now and somehow wished Lucina would have murdered her back there. But even after Grima's defeat, she still would be practically the fell dragon and should just be killed although this would erase her twins' existence which was making her feel even worse.

Sitting there for a while and lamenting on the choices she had, she heard someone approach her but did not need to look around as she already knew who it was.

"Vivi." Chrom's voice made her wince as she did not wish him to look at her and she found her husband standing behind her with a gentle smile. "There you are. I have been searching for you."

She was about to tell him he doesn't have to search for her, but stayed quiet instead.

"I'm sorry for suddenly getting emotional back there. I was just too shocked and happy at the same time to see Emm again." He looked slightly embarrassed and scratched the back of his head with a grin but Vivianne didn't smile back.

"What's wrong, dear?"

"I… I think it would be better if you would leave me alone. I'm no good." She replied and looked away, biting on her bottom lip again.

"Oh, don't be silly. Come here." He spread out his arms and walked up to her, but Vivianne quickly scrambled to her feet and walked backwards, away from Chrom with a scared expression. Not scared of Chrom, but of touching him.

"NO!"

Her reaction seemed to surprise him as he stood there, looking dumbfounded at her blinking.

"Vivi…"

"D… Don't come any closer, Chrom." She gasped, putting her hands on her upper arms and scratched herself, almost as if she could tear off her skin this way. She was ashamed and disgusted of herself, for being loved by the man who was too good for her.

"Are you still thinking about what Validar and Grima said? You shouldn't think about it too hard, you…" He was about to hug her, but Vivianne flinched away once again causing Chrom to sigh.

"Vivi, you know you're not like Grima. You're nothing like that!"

"But I don't deserve being by your side, or our friends! Even though I did not do it myself, I killed you. I made lives hell for our friends and their children as well as ours! I'm detestable and should just be killed right here on the spot!" She shouted, tearing up. "I don't want to think what can happen if Grima actually manages to gain control over me… I…" She gripped her head and sobbed, crouching down. She felt so extremely miserable, her heart ached and tears poured down her cheeks.

"It hadn't been you, Vivi. You're a different person, the kindest and strongest woman I know. You are not Grima and will never be like him - you are your own woman." Chrom tried to reassure her but Vivianne only shook her head.

"I don't deserve any of this - to be loved by you, to have such wonderful children and to have all those friends and people who look up to me as their queen. I should just been left alone all again - or better, killed before anything happens."

"Don't say that! You can't possibly mean that! As I already told you, I will not let you get killed - I won't see you getting murdered! How do you think it would be for me, watching you die and never get to hear your voice, or hold you in my arms - seeing you never again?! It would be the end of me!" Chrom shouted stomping towards her, crouching down and grabbed her by the shoulders, pulling her into an embrace although she tried to resist. "We have changed destiny, and we are going to keep changing it until everyone lives the happy life they deserve, including you."

"B-But I don't deserve it…" She whimpered and Chrom squeezed her tighter in his arms.

"You deserve everything, Vivi. To compensate for the past you had." He whispered in her ear. "Just remember, no matter what or who you are, you're Vivianne to our friends and children and to me - the woman we adore and love most. The only woman I love and will ever love."

"Ngh…I…" Chrom's sweet words caused another flood of tears to spill down her cheeks and she hid her face in his chest, gripping his shirt as she cried. In turn, Chrom held his wife tightly in his arms and stroked over her head and he seemed to try to soothe her worries so she would stop thinking she was hated by him because she possessed Grima's Heart.

"I love you, my love. You should know that." He kissed the top of her head and put his hand under her chin to force her to look up.

"I… I love y-you, too…" She wailed with tear-stained cheeks. Chrom raised his hands and wiped the tears with his thumbs away before leaning in and captured her lips with his, kissing her deeply and passionately to comfort her and convey her everything is going to be all right. Vivianne returned the kiss and put her arms around his neck, their clothes came off one after another until their bodies melted together as one.

Eventually, the Shepherds moved out towards the sacred mountain. Mount Prism was a truly beautiful place filled with greenery, it almost had a soothing atmosphere like the Great Tree where Tiki has resided.

Yet, it couldn't cheer up the Shepherds as everyone marched forward with a grave expression and Vivianne was tailing behind them. She did not dare walking with them, even though they seemed to accept her being Grima although Chrom has told her previously they didn't think of her as anyone else than Vivianne.

Now she understood why she always felt so uncomfortable hearing Grima's name or when the Grimleals were mentioned; she must have known she was Grima before she lost her memories.

Looking down at her hands, she thought about what Grima said - that the Vivianne who became Grima has killed her husband with her own hands and it gave her goosebumps just thinking about it. Her Alter-Ego has killed her husband and made life hell for her own children. Turning around her right hand, she noticed that the Mark of Grima was still glinting in blue light and her body also was hot, just as her heart. Also, her back has started to tingle mysteriously. She wondered why her body behaved like that but she did knew it had nothing to do with Grima's power within her - it was something else.

Shortly before they reached the altar, they were attacked by Risen and Vivianne realized she could utilize her magic without the use of Orion, she did not need a tome anymore.

The altar to perform the Awakening was not as big as Vivianne imagined it would be, it resembled a simple pedestal with a setting for the Fire Emblem, surrounded by a few columns.

"We've made it… the altar." Chrom gasped. "Wait here, I'll be back."

He looked back to his friends and family, peering into Vivianne's eyes for a moment.

"Be careful Chrom." She whispered and suddenly felt a hand wrap around her own.

"We must believe in him, Mother." Lucina said and squeezed her hand, almost like she tried to convince herself.

"Yes, father will accomplish it." Morgana grabbed Vivianne's other hand and hugged her mother from the side. Vivianne only nodded and watched Chrom's back as he put the Fire Emblem in the setting on the pedestal.

"Hear me, Naga!" He shouted. "I bear proof of our sacred covenant! In the name of the exalted blood, I ask for the divine dragon's power! Baptize me in fire, that I may become your true son!"

Suddenly he winced, almost as if struck by something and let out a loud groan. It hurt Vivianne to see him in pain, but bit down her bottom lip knowing her Alter Ego has made him feel more pain than that. He then crumbled to the ground and Lucina let go of Vivianne's hand to run over to him.

"Father!"

"I'm… I'm all right." He panted and got up to his feet, though he was still unsteady.

"Be welcome, Awakener." Suddenly a female voice said and woman with manakete features appeared before them, around four times as tall as Vivianne and had an ethereal appearance. "Your heart has been tested and deemed worthy. Cleansed in my fire, your desire has proven to burn the stronger."

"Then you will grant me the power to defeat Grima?... The power of a god?" Chrom asked and Naga nodded.

"Yes. But know this: I am no god." She answered.

"But milady, you are the divine dragon!" Lucina exclaimed in awe.

"So do sons of man name me. But I am no creator, as the only dragons to possess such powers are Anankos and Arcardia. I do not possess the powers of making or unmaking. And neither does Grima. Neither of us bears the power to destroy the other utterly."

"Then what power will you grant me?" Chrom asked meekly, awaiting a response.

"With my blessing, thou may draw forth Falchion's true might. The blade of the exalts shall again strike like the dragon's fang. Your strength will then be my equal."

"But not strong enough?" Chrom looked disappointed.

"Alas, Grima cannot be slain, sleep alone can be your victory just as your ancestor put the fell dragon to sleep a millennium ago. But you must weaken him first. Only as the final can my power be used to bind his." Naga explained, almost like she has heard it before. Chrom's ancestor probably asked the same.

"Isn't there any way to destroy him for good?" Lissa then asked, walking up next to Vivianne.

"There is, perchance, a power that could end Grima. However, the blade was sealed long ago and seen as lost. Indeed does Arcardia's holy sword Narukami hold enough power to destroy absolutely anything, no matter if mortal or immortal. Yet, I can sense it close…" Naga's eyes turned to Vivianne, or more precisely, Orion strapped by belts to her hip.

"Child of Anankos, what is your tome's name?"

Vivianne did not realize Naga meant her until she remembered Grima mentioning it as well and put a hand on the tome.

"Orion." She answered and Naga had a satisfied expression on her face.

"Yes, and as I can see Aria gifted you the tome. For you have to know, Aria is the mortal soul of Arcardia which has split from her immortal self and due to this change, Narukami sealed itself into the tome. Despite this, I can feel it resonating with you."

"Is it possible to release it from it's current state?" Vivianne asked and Naga nodded.

"Your awakening power would draw out it's full potential and turn it back into the blade it once was."

"Excuse me, but what kind of power?"

"You did inherit a surprising great amount of power from your grandfather Anankos and possess a fraction of Arcardia's power which was given to you by Aria. Those two are colliding within you and strengthen you. Also, because you are of Anankos' descent you are able to access the Dragon Veins and alter the terrain as well as the course of your battles - an ability your children have inherited from you. Indeed did your Alter Ego know of this power and suppressed it altogether with Grima's power while you had no memories of possessing this power and as such did not suppress it but rather welcomed it. Because of this it suppresses Grima's heart and if it were to fully awaken, it would erase Grima's heart within you. I can see it already started to awaken but it is unknown how long it will be until it fully shows it potential." Naga sighed. "Now come, there is little time…"

"Where is Grima now?" Chrom asked, still partly shocked to hear about Vivianne's hidden power.

"To the west lies a volcano known as Origin Peak. You shall find the fell dragon there."

Following Naga's words, the Shepherds set out to the volcano and on the way there, Vivianne could not help herself but to stare at Orion which had started to glint. It sounded impossible to Vivianne that she does possess such a great power and yet she couldn't doubt it - a part of her was telling her it was the truth. She was determined to awaken her power and so return Orion to the sacred weapon it once was.

As she was walking behind her allies Lissa came up to Vivianne with a smile.

"How are you feeling, sister?" She asked and Vivianne showed her a small forced smile. Sometimes Lissa called her like that and it made Vivianne feel warm inside - accepted - even though she shouldn't feel this way.

"I'm fine, don't you worry."

"Oh, I'm not the one to worry. Chrom is the one who worries about you… as you grew unusually quiet the past few days. Almost depressive." Lissa frowned but Vivianne did not answer and suddenly her sister-in-law clasped her arm.

"Hey, if I were to tell you something nice, would you feel better?"

"Huh?"

"But don't tell Chrom - or Lon'qu as I haven't told them yet. You're the first one to know as you have told me first, too!" Lissa giggled in excitement. "I'm pregnant!"

"W-what?! But then you shouldn't be fighting with us!"

"That's why I'm staying behind and just heal everyone. Don't worry, I'm fine."

"Yeah, you say that, but…"

"Vivianne, it's all right. I'm super careful to not get hurt and injure little Owain!" Lissa beamed and put her hand on her belly. Seeing her like that made Vivianne remember the time she found out she was expecting. She had been very excited back then, and fantasized how it would have been to have a child. Smiling, she patted her sister-in-law's head.

Soon they reached Origin Peak and battled their way through the Risen when Grima roared which caused the ground beneath the Shepherd's feet to tremble. The weather also seemed to collide with Grima's power, a storm formed above them and rain was falling endlessly on them, drenching the soldiers to the bones.

"Yikes, what was that?" Lissa jumped as Grima roared once again.

"The dragon's call!" Lucina shouted and looked up to the dragon's massive figure above them. "Grima!"

"We can defeat him!" Chrom shouted and Frederick next to him made a surprised sound.

"Milord, how does a man challenge a mountain?! Where would one even strike?"

"The fell dragon has a weakness on the nape on his neck. But that weakness will be guarded by his servants. I can send you onto the dragon's back, but the rest is in your hands." Naga said with a conflicted expression.

"Then please, milady, and quickly! We would ask no more of you. Everyone, prepare yourselves! One way or another this ends here!"

Naga muttered words in an ancient language and held her hands together which caused everyone to be engulfed in bright green light. Vivianne squeezed her eyes shut to not be blinded by it and the next moment she knew, she was on the dragon's back and her Alter Ego stood by the neck of the dragon, staring at them.

"Wretched son of Naga, you will be destroyed!" Grima's voice sounded less human and more like the one of a demon now and her face was distorted in rage.

"Are you ready, Vivianne?" Chrom looked around to his wife with a faint smile and Vivianne nodded.

"As ready as I will ever be, Chrom. Let's finish this!" She answered and they rushed towards Grima, but he summoned quite powerful Risen and though they managed to defeat them, Grima sent a sudden attack in their direction.

"W-what… what manner of magic…" Chrom huffed in shock.

"Magic? That was a… damned catastrophe! He's weakened us all… He's too strong…" Basilio gasped behind him and Grima laughed as Vivianne's friends were forced to the ground. Vivianne was the only one left standing, not even a scratch from the attack was on her body.

"And so it ends, Vivianne. See how frail these human bonds of your are? How short lived? How pointless? You have all thrown your lives away, and the result is the same!"

"We're not dead yet!" Vivianne yelled back running towards Grima but he only sighed.

"Detail, detail. But yes, I suppose it's time I got you all off my back, so to speak - permanently."

"No." Vivianne stayed headfast, even though Grima did seemed to be too strong for them.

"No, you don't want this, do you? You have a choice, you know? It doesn't have to be this way. You can still save all your friends… Become one with me, and we shall spare their lives… Refuse, and watch as I rend the flesh from their bones." Grima was explaining calmly and Vivianne hesitated for a moment, her friends and family called out to her and told her it was a trap and Vivianne did know that. But she wanted to know what Grima was up to.

"Now, I will have your decision! Will you save these worms? Will you join me and become a god?" Grima had a sneer on her face and Vivianne did not even to think about her answer.

"Do you think me a fool? You'll kill them anyway!"

"Well, of course I would. I only thought you might want to leave your comrades with a heroic, selfless image… But so be it. Leave them with the final memory that you were their undoing!"

Suddenly a black portal surrounded her and Vivianne screamed in pain as it seemed to tug on her soul and before she knew it, she was lying in a dark space without knowing where she was or what was going on.

"W-Where am I…?"

"Where your god wills you to be. Now if you will excuse me… I have some fleas on my back to take care of." Grima said and slowly disappeared.

"No! I won't let you!" Vivianne shouted and pounced at Grima, but the dragon already disappeared so that she fell to the ground.

"I… I see a sea of black… I have no final strategy… No cards left to play… She has won… Ah, I can't see… can't hear… can't feel… nothing… absolutely nothing…" She whispered, despair filled her but then she heard voices called out to her. Voices she did not recognize at first as they were too quiet but soon the voices grew louder and she realized it were the voices of her friends, calling out to her.

"Fight back, Vivianne! You swore to do so, remember? Now keep your damn word!" Chrom's voice was louder than any of the others and Vivianne raised her head.

"Chrom? Chrom! Chrom, I can hear you!"

She could hear her friends, their voices filled with despair and they encouraged her to get up again.

"I can hear them… I can hear my friends…" She whispered and slowly stood up.

"Stop this at once! Silence those wretched voices! You are all powerless! Frail! Insignificant! You are nothing!" Grima was shouting against the voices, but to no avail.

"Return to us, Vivianne! Your bond with us is stronger than even the fell dragon's might!" Chrom called out and Vivianne felt her head nodding.

"Chrom! I'm coming, Chrom!" She shouted and then was suddenly engulfed by white blinding light. It was a familiar feeling, something within her was breaking loose and before she knew it, things streamed back into her mind.

Her memories.


	16. Chapter XV

**Chapter XV**

It felt like she was doused in cold water as her memories returned to her.

She was born to the Nohrian heir to the throne, Crown Prince Xander and his wife Kaguya, in a world deep in the Outrealms. Her mother has united the armies of Nohr and Hoshido with the help of her siblings in the royal families and together they were fighting against Valla - against the corrupted dragon Anankos. She also has an older twin brother, Siegbert, who was born just moments before her.

Her mother almost died giving birth to them and the twins had also been on the edge of death, but her father has rushed to Aria who was fighting by their side and begged her to save them. Aria did use her powers to keep them alive and yet somehow Vivianne absorbed those powers - Aria later has explained her she was very frail and so the power has favored and strengthened her.

Vivianne was very mature as a little child, acting like a grown-up though she sometimes did have her childish tendencies, mostly around her family. She had been extremely fond of her father, in a similar manner how Lucina was fond of Chrom, although Xander was often described as intimidating-looking but Vivianne did not see him that way. In her eyes he had been a loving and gentle father - though he had his strict moments when he scolded her. Also, she had a desire to help her mother in the war and so asked Aria to teach her everything about tactics and how to fight. But as her magical power was too much for the tomes, Aria gifted her Orion which she always kept close. She also liked her mother's cousin Azura and pestered her to teach her the song Lost in Thoughts All Alone which she was often singing and Azura mentioned her powers made the song especially powerful which had made Vivianne wonder back then.

However, eventually she was abducted by Validar during one of the days in which she was sitting inside and learning and brought to this world. She couldn't remember much during the time in which she was held captive in Plegia, except of being subjected to many different experiments which implanted Grima's Heart in her but once that was done a woman named Robin has set her free but was killed and the battle coat Vivianne was usually wearing originally belonged to her. The next few months Vivianne was escaping from the Grimleal and no matter how well she did hide and how many times she has hidden, they always found her. Sometimes, she even went without food or proper sleep for days until she found an ancient shrine dedicated to the twin dragons in the mountains and for some reason she was safe there. From time to time she went out to steal food and books, and one of those books revealed her that she was Grima - now that she had it's heart in her. From this day onward Vivianne did everything she could to remove it, she once even tried to cut it out but just couldn't do it so she resorted to train and eventually defeat it herself should the fell dragon awake. For years, training and learning how to become a great strategist was her daily routine. She had no friends, no real home and was painfully alone with no real future in sight and wished many times to just drop dead. This went on for a while until one day she ventured out to get some food as she hasn't eaten for days - which was the time her Alter Ego tried to merge with her but wiped her memories and shortly after that she met Chrom, without her memories.

The blinding light subsides soon and Vivianne found herself standing back on Grima's back, facing herself and with her friends and family behind her. However, the shock of her memories returning have made her immobile and she only stared at her feet with horror-stricken widen eyes. Her body was trembling slightly as she remembered how much she hated herself for not being able to die and Grima, for making her life so miserable as it was the reason why she was taken away from her parents. The emotionless, heavily depressive state she had been in for years.

Thinking about it, thinking about Grima's threat and her current family Vivianne knew she just couldn't let them fight. It was her fight, she alone will bring Grima down so it would never endanger anyone - especially not her family. She had trained herself for this moment ever since she learned Grima was connected to her, that she was Grima.

The heat she felt in her body started to grow even hotter, her hand and heart seemed to burn and also felt a weird sensation on her back.

"Vivi?" She heard Chrom's voice behind her which brought her back to reality. She partly turned to her friends and before anyone could say anything she rose her hand towards them.

"I'm sorry, Chrom. But this is my fight."

With that she teleported her friends back to the ground so it was only her and Grima standing on top of the massive dragon and Grima laughed.

"So you want to fight me one-on-one?! Then bring it on and show how weak you are!"

"I'm not weak. I have people - friends - who believe in me. I might be not the greatest woman in the entire world, as I'm practically you, but I will not see this world being destroyed or the people here murdered. This might not be the world I was born in, but it's my home. And such I will do anything to stop you." Vivianne growled as she looked at Grima who only put on a sneer.

"Yes, sure. I have overheard you talking to that stupid divine dragon. You believe you can defeat me, even with your stupid tome?" Grima laughed in glee, almost in an evil tone while hiding her mouth behind her hand. "You are all alone up here. I'm going to kill you first and then those maggots you call friends down there."

Grima reached out a hand and blasted purple lightning in Vivianne's direction who dodged it, but the attack on Vivianne continued, not even pausing for a moment and the gigantic dragon on which Vivianne stood was shaking so she almost lost her footing. Grima's words rang in her head and made her feel extremely angry. She wouldn't let anyone hurt her friends and family and Grima will never ever touch a hair on their hands, not as long as Vivianne could impede that. Vivianne ignored the rain of purple lightning bolts which cut in her skin and flesh as she teleported herself towards Grima, standing eye to eye to the dragon.

"No one is going to hurt them. You can injure me however you want, but if you just do so much as touching a hair of theirs..." A sadistic, almost insane smile crept across Vivianne's lips. "...I'm going to shred you to pieces."

Grima stopped moving for a moment, seemingly too shocked to speak. Apparently, he hadn't seen this coming and Vivianne used the opportunity to kick it in the stomach and it flew backwards, sliding over the dragon's back.

With a loud scream, it straightened again and moved an arm in synchronization with the enormous dragon's wing which would have knocked Vivianne off the creature if she wouldn't have erected a double-layered protective shell around her. She was gritting her teeth, the pain from her in varying degrees deep cuts was numbing her body but she did her best to not pay heed of it and instead concentrated on the fiend in front of her. From deep beneath them she could hear blades clashing and tearing of flesh, hoping it were the Risen who were torn apart and not her friends.

She raised her hand and collected magic in her fist, firing a huge blast of azure light towards Grima but the dragon only hit it away with the hand and maniac laughter. Vivianne repeated the same action over and over again, but to no avail - Grima was far stronger than she has believed - but she was prepared. She has prepared herself for so long for this moment, to fight Grima and to defeat it and she will not see her years of rigorous training go unnecessary. She fired her most powerful spells at Grima and though not many of them connected, at least she managed to inflict some kind of damage on her Alter-Ego though Grima shrugged the wounds off like it was a bothersome fly and to Vivianne's shock they soon started to close.

"One can not inflict damage on it at all...?" She whispered, unable to believe what she was seeing.

"Now you see, you fool! You maggots can't harm me at all so just go and die!" Grima's voice started to grow distorted and the human voice was overlapped by a more demonic one as it attacked Vivianne over and over again, the gigantic dragon's body was maning it almost impossible to stand atop and Grima occasionally sent some Risen to battle Vivianne.

Slowly she started to feel her magic power being depleted during her offensive and defensive spells and teared up out of frustration as Grima seemed to be fine.

Was everything she has done until now just pointless? All the years of training to defeat the one who has made her go through hell and yet the chance to reach that goal was extremely slim, if even possible. A sob escaped her lips and she inadvertently thought of her family - not just the one in this world, but also the one in her homeland; her uncles and aunts, her cousins and at last her parents and her twin brother. For so long she has wished to be able to live with someone like a normal family and though she obtained that feeling upon being with Chrom and the children, she wanted to see her parents. She remembered her mother telling her she was abducted from Hoshido at a young age and how her mother Mikoto had been devastated all those years because she doesn't knew what happened with her child and wondered if her mother had felt this way as well.

Lost in thoughts, she didn't see Grima sending another attack her way which hit Vivianne in the abdomen, knocked her off her feet and sent her flying and sliding over the dragon's back.

She had no strength to get up anymore, she only thought of how she has disappointed her friends and family and was too weak to defeat the dragon all by herself as she always wished for. They all would be hurt or even killed, robbed of their homes and loved ones, and this was just her fault. She was a complete failure, why do people even believe in her? Not only she was a failure, she was also a traitor - after all, she was Grima as well.

Gritting her teeth, she watched human Grima approach her as her fingers moved towards her special tome on her waist. Orion had been a huge help in training her magic and upon touching it, she recalled Naga's words and gripped it tighter. Naga has told her she might be the only one to defeat Grima as Orion was the only weapon in the world to kill even immortals.

"Even when we are fighting against all odds and enemies who seem undefeatable, we will keep fighting no matter what. Not because we have no other choice, but because we want to protect the ones we love - including the world we live in." Her father's words echoed in her head, the answer he had given her upon her asking why they were all fighting in this war against Valla. It reminded her that her parents and their friends always went to fight, were it against the invaders in the castle or in some Deeprealms or in Hoshido, Nohr or even Valla and none of them ever gave up like she was about to. That had been something she and the other children have looked up to, but she seemed to have forgotten.

As she was thinking about that, she had an urge to slap herself to ever think she might not be able to defeat Grima. Her parents were fighting against a more vicious dragon than Grima and enemies which were invisible, yet they kept fighting and there she was; given power by inheriting it from Anankos and a part of Aria and was about to give up.

But she couldn't give up, they all have been giving their all in the fights until now and they will succeed no matter what, even if Vivianne herself had to make sure that happens.

Everyone was doing their best in these dire times with a smile on their faces, none of them was giving up so she won't do it either.

She will fight until the bitter end.

Meanwhile, Grima reached Vivianne and was about to kick her but she caught her Alter-Ego's foot midair.

"You are still trying to resist? Don't you see? It's over!" Grima shouted but Vivianne looked up with a newfound determination.

"Over? No, far from it. It will be never over! I'm not going to give up until I finally defeat you and live a normal, happy life with my family! And absolutely no one is going to ruin that future!" Vivianne shouted, anger rising in her in synchronization with something else, something powerful which filled her entire body to her fingertips. "AND YOU ARE NEVER GOING TO DESTROY THAT!"

Her outburst caused an explosion of power within her, bright blue light surrounded her and eventually Grima and the huge dragon. Vivianne could feel her body slowly starting to change, but she barely registered it and noticed Orion on her waist starting to grow hot, changing as well.

Reaching for it, her fingers touched the engraved hilt of a sword which she clasped tightly and swung it out of the light which made the blade slash through the atmosphere and hit Grima as well who only made a pained sound and was threw back, a gush of blood streaming out of the wound across the chest.

"You do not dare!" Grima screeched, face distorted in anger and to Vivianne's shock she could see slight fear. Grima was fearing her. Vivianne used a moment to take a look at the sword in her hand. The hilt looked like made out of some kind of wood with a blade which looked like made out of water, yet radiated in all kinds of colors. It looked truly like a god's legendary blade.

From what she was seeing, her body has changed so that she looked more like a humanoid dragon, yet she somehow liked it. The Mark of Grima on her hand has completely disappeared and her back seemed to burn. Her hand gripped the sword tighter and she could feel her magic power has grown stronger again so that she could use magic with no restrictions. A smile crept across her lips as she looked at her hand and created huge swords of light above Grima to attack the fell dragon though she tried to defend herself it did not work; the swords pierced through her body and made an explosion of light which caused the enormous dragon's body to tilt towards the ground, but it still kept itself in the air. Seeing her Alter-Ego being distracted, Vivianne grabbed the hilt of her blade with both hands and turned around and cut through the air which resulted in a cutting sound, but nothing happened at first. A moment later, a bright slash appeared across Grima's left wings and cleanly cut them off the main body. The dragon roared in pain which shook the atmosphere, body tilting to the side as it tried its hardest to stay in the air but doing so was impossible with only one set of wings on one side. As the dragon's body slowly started to descend towards the ground Vivianne used the opportunity and teleported herself towards the human Grima and stared in its red eyes as it seemed to not have expected her to move this close towards it.

"You dare to defy me - a GOD?!" Grima roared and Vivianne only showed it a mocking smile.

"I was never fond of the gods to begin with." She then moved her sword towards Grima, but it managed to dodge which resulted in the gigantic dragon's back to be slashed and so they kept clashing with physical weapons as well as magic and Vivianne had to grasp hold of the dragon's body as it was heavily injured from the flying slashes and crashed on the ground since it almost threw her off. Grima fell on top of Origin Peak, its body dangling across of the mountain. Human Grima rolled and stumbled down some boulders and Vivianne came to halt on one of them over the fell dragon.

"What I don't understand is why you have allowed the dragon to take over you." Vivianne said after looking at her Alter-Ego for a moment who was writhing on the ground and looked up to her.

"What..."

"I'm not talking to you, I'm talking to the other me." Vivianne quickly dismissed any attempt of Grima to speak, especially because the fell dragon was unable to talk due to a slightly slit throat. Seeing herself being hurt like that made Vivianne feel uncomfortable but she ignored the feeling. "I understand that you had you memories of those dreadful times before you met Chrom - unlike me. But for the sake of your own family here you should have been fighting against the fell dragon! However, you let Grima take control of you and destroyed the lives of your family, your friends and everyone in this world! You made their lives a living hell and robbed children of their parents and parents of their children! You killed your own husband, the man who loved you despite everything that happened and what you are and cursed your poor children into a life filled with despair so that their only way to change that was travelling back in time! You should be ashamed of yourself for allowing this to happen!"

"You have no say in that, human! You-" Grima was shouting, blood gushing out of the wounds but suddenly stopped talking with a frozen body. Vivianne was wondering what happened until she realized her Alter-Ego was crying. It was not Grima who was crying, but rather Vivianne's other self and it seemed like Vivianne's words have reached her. She could see both Grima and Vivianne were fighting in her body for control and remembered a spell her father's brother Leo taught her which was apparently working to ward off all vile things and though he has argumented that there was no real definition for an evil being and that the spell would not always work and destroy the target shortly after, Vivianne wondered whether she could give her other self at least some quiet passing. She tried to start preparing the spell, but Grima was about to move away so Vivianne moved towards her indicating a hug, but she put her hand on her Alter-Ego's chest and the spell hit her through the heart and surrounded her.

"Agh... gh..." Grima groaned which seemed to be sounds one makes when in pain, but for Vivianne it sounded more like suppressed sobs.

"I'm sorry..." She heard in a quiet voice - her own voice. "I'm so sorry... Chrom... Lucina... Morgana... Morgan... everyone..."

Vivianne's Alter-Ego crumbled to the ground with an impassive expression and she only looked at her with the same expression.

"I killed them all... my family, my friends... I... I..." The other Vivianne started to sob and Vivianne from the present time only showed a pained expression, she felt even worse when she thought that she probably looked similar miserable when she was talking to Chrom not so long ago.

"It's okay." She whispered in return. "You are not the guilty one here and I'm sure everyone knows it as well."

"I don't deserve to be forgiven... but I was just happy to see that Lucina, the twins and the other children are fine despite what I put them through..." Future Vivianne sobbed and then looked up to Vivianne's face. "Grima is still a part of me, so as long as I live there is a chance it will return, even now I'm fighting with it over controlling my body. So please, kill me."

"W-what?!"

"I... You... remember our past, right? It wouldn't be the first time. So please, please... just kill me. I don't want to live anymore." Future Vivianne hid her face in her hands and Vivianne stared at her with a heavy heart, her hand which held the sword was sweating. She understood her other self's desire to die and so gritted her teeth and swung the blade in the moment Grima took control of her. Blood splattered on the ground and Vivianne who had a disgusted expression although it had been her who chose a quick murdering method so her other self wouldn't feel any pain.

Vivianne averted her eyes as she saw something ball-sized with hair rolling towards her from the corners of her eyes and put away the holy blade which made her body return to it's original appearance.

Panting from the adrenaline rush which now started to slowly leave her body, Vivianne watched Grima's body disappear in purple dust alongside the dragon and heard cheers behind her. She turned around and smiled as she caught Chrom's eyes who was walking towards her. She realized she stood on a higher layered rock formation of the volcano and had teleported her friends quite far away, but was happy they were spared from her battle as she now realized Narukami has cut into the atmosphere several times and the impact of two forces meeting has brought some of the rocks of the mountain to fall down as well as some trees to bend over with their roots. Looking down at Narukami she smiled as it turned back into a tome.

Looking up once again, she saw her friends celebrating their victory; the children from the future started to cry in joy and were hugged by their parents and everyone fell into each other's arms. Chrom, Lucina and the twins were hurrying towards Vivianne who was smiling gently.

Everything was over now, the fell dragon Grima has fallen and the mark on Vivianne's right hand has disappeared - the power of her grandfather removed the heart.

Now, with the defeat of Grima everyone could live in peace, the children were finally able to end their constant struggle for a peaceful life and Vivianne would be able to spend her time with her family without worrying about the doom the children have spoken about and with her memories complete.

Vivianne called out to her children and husband in delight and moved towards them, but just in the moment when she made the first step…

"Not so fast, princess!"

Suddenly, a voice behind her rang out and Vivianne had no time to react, not even to stop in her tracks and look around when something pierced right through her chest, slitting her lungs and heart.

At first, Vivianne did not realize what was happening, she doesn't even felt the pain, and just saw something akin to a spear made out of water sticking out of her chest and breathed heavily, turning her head to look over her shoulder.

A semi-invisible fiend was standing behind her, having a purple hue and clothed in a cloak. He was holding the spear with a devious smirk.

Vivianne recognized right away what the creature was.

"A… Face...less…?" She gasped, coughing up blood as the man disappeared and the spear dissolved back into water and fell to the ground.

All strength left her and she swayed on her feet as she heard some of her friends scream, others shouting something and Chrom bellowed her name running towards his wife. She lost her footing and slipped on the slippery ground, falling off the rock formation as blood gushed out of the wound like a fountain.

Landing on the ground, she heard and felt a powerful snap in her neck and groaned loudly, unable to scream in pain with her lungs and throat filled with blood. Her body registered the pain just now, it roared through her body with such a strength, it was too unbearable - almost like someone was slowly tearing the skin and flesh off her bones. Her body was twitching and trembling uncontrollably, but she herself couldn't move as the mere attempt to move one of her limbs bore too much pain. She tried to breathe, but the blood in her throat made it impossible and she teared up as she choked.

The pain was dulling her senses and made her body grow numb, she just could see her blood forming a puddle underneath her mixed with the rain before her sight grew blurry.

She heard someone running up to her in the background, but she couldn't see who it was as she was lying on her stomach with her sight extremely blurred.

"Vivianne!" Chrom's voice reached her ears and he gripped her shoulders, turning her around and cradled her in his arms. Even with her clouded vision, she could see the shock and horror in his face.

"C...hro...m…" She wheezed, desperately gasping for air.

"Oh gods… Vivi, you have to pull through!" He shouted holding back sobs and his voice trembled. "The healers are going to be here soon, just don't close your eyes! Fight against it!"

But that was easier said than done as Vivianne had a feeling like something was pulling on her soul, away from living.

"I...I...can't…"

"No, Vivi! Please, you have to stay alive! I can't lose you - not like this! Not now, after the fighting is over!" He sobbed loudly, tears pouring down his face and hugged her tighter, almost like he tried to stop the bleeding and doesn't cared that her blood was soaking his clothes. "Don't leave me… please, please!"

Vivianne tried to say something to comfort Chrom, but she coughed up another gust of blood and felt almost all of the energy leaving her body due to bleeding so much. Black dots were dancing in her sight and she could just partly see her husband's face. It felt like she was looking at him from the end of a long dark tunnel.

"Mother!" Lucina and the twins arrived by her side and her eldest daughter gripped her hand with a sob.

"Mother, please… don't die… We can not lose you!" She cried, the twins sobbing loudly as they sat next to her on the muddy ground.

"I'm… sorry my dears…" Vivianne coughed. She knew she wouldn't be able to pull through, even if the healers would arrive and heal her. She just lost too much blood.

With the last bit of energy left, she looked over to her husband who was silently crying, quietly begging her to stay alive.

"Thank you, Chrom… for everything… Tell the others my… ngh… last thoughts were of them…" She felt herself tearing up, a lone tear rolled down her cheek and mixed with the rain. "May we meet again, in a better life… I love you… and the children… I'm sorry…"

With her last words, she felt her life slip away, everything grew dark around her and the pain faded away with the crying faces of her family. The last thing she heard was Chrom bellowing "Vivianne! No! Ah, gods, NO! NOOOO!" in agony and desperation.

The defeat of Grima brought back peace to the realm and was a joyous occasion but none of the residents celebrated the victory, the grief for Ylisse's deceased queen rippled through the halidom and everywhere in the world the people gathered and prayed to the hero who fell Grima once and for all.

An ivory monument was erected in the palace's gardens in memory of the tactician and some maids said to have spotted a tall woman with very long azure hair standing by the memorial but others said it was a hallucination.

But it was no illusion as during that night, a woman was indeed standing there.

"Your story is not over yet, child."

 **Author's note:**

This was the final chapter of Two Halves of a Whole and just as the last sentence said, I plan to continue the story via a pre-sequel set in the story of Fire Emblem: Fates (Revelation path) named Twin Dragons of Valla so I hope to see you there!

Thank you for reading this story and I hope you liked it!


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